Where the Wild Things Are
by rigby8
Summary: AU & Santana POV. Quinn persuades Santana to go on a camping holiday with her new friends from college. During the week away Santana gets particularly close to one of Quinn's new friends, Brittany. Focus is Brittana romance, with Quintana friendship, plus other characters from Glee. R
1. Chapter 1

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

**Chapter One**

The cool breeze offered some relief from the stifling hot weather we had been experiencing over the past few days. I am a great lover of the sun, but it proved even too hot for my threshold, so the only thing for it was to give in, lie down and bask. So, being a sun-worshipper, I planned to do just that. I was probably supposed to be helping put up tents as Quinn's friends had decided the best way to enjoy the heat wave was to lock themselves up in nylon, but that all seemed far too much like hard work, so I'd sneaked off to enjoy a little me time before she realised that I was missing. I thought it was fair as personally I would have preferred to have a cocktail pool party followed by enjoying the wonders of sleeping in a comfortable bed with air-conditioning, however, not for the first time in the history of our friendship, Quinn had persuaded me to join her through a combination of puppy dog eyes and promises of alcohol and boys. So, I relented, packed myself a bag for the week and reluctantly climbed into the back of Quinn's car half asleep at six am in the morning to be driven to a campsite in the middle of nowhere. Since arriving I had been to check out the facilities, it is important to get your priorities right, and found that there was a shower block with cubicles, communal showering with a load of hippies would have definitely been the last straw and resulted in an instant taxi ride home, and manageable toilets; well by manageable, I mean that they had doors, locks and flushes, which was something.

So after checking out the surroundings and realising that Quinn was lying about the boys, there were no boys worth looking at, I had helped myself to a few beers and headed down to the waterfront for some alone drinking time. Settled on my back, with the water in front of me and the occasional yells of so called 'team work' behind me from the rest of the camping group putting up tents, I was ready for an afternoon of relaxation, drinking and the odd cigarette. Blades of grass tickled the soles of my feet and wheedled their way between my toes, the sun beamed down so hard that I had to close my eyes and cross my arms over my face. I had to admit, Quinn was right, this kind of relaxation was exactly what I needed.

I was half expecting Quinn to come hunting for me, but I think she knew better of it. I had hardly been the picture of sunshine recently and to be honest I was totally surprised she had even invited me away with her college friends for their summer gathering. I'd had a difficult time at college in New York and so she had persuaded me to fly back home and go camping with her and her new college friends. I was so proud of what Quinn had achieved since High School, although I would never admit it to her. She'd gotten pregnant at sixteen, decided to keep the baby and after an ongoing battle with her conservative Christian parents persuaded them to let her stay at home and bring up her child. On top of this she had finished High School with fantastic grades, captained the Cheerios and become senior Class President, the only title she has missed out on was Prom Queen, but that was a long story. With that kind of record she could have applied to the top colleges in the country, but she decided she wanted to stay home and take care of her child Beth as well as getting a degree. She'd managed to overcome so much and yet still found the time to help me out.

At the start of the last semester of my first year at college I'd decided to surprised my boyfriend by coming back a day early. I knocked on the door at his place, he was a sophomore so lived off campus, and was met by his rather terrified looking housemate. He tried to stop me from coming inside so I pushed past him and stormed into Cody's bedroom. He was naked on his bed, with the covers on the floor, spooning a just as naked redhead who was my roommate. The room stank of sex, alcohol and sweat and it make the bile rising into my dry mouth even worse. I got out of the house as quickly as I could, desperately trying to hold in the sobs that were inevitably going to erupt once I had stopped running.

When I got back to our room, I did something that I am not incredibly proud of; I trashed her stuff. I didn't do any permanent damage, that I know of anyway, but I made my point and felt a hell of a lot better for it afterwards. Next thing I packed my bags and walked as much of my stuff as I could to the student housing office and refused to move from their reception area until they found me an alternative place to sleep. I was there for about three hours until one of their Housing Officers took pity on me and found me a room that I could transfer to for the rest of the semester. I followed her down the hallways, looking like a drowned rat, dumped my stuff and went back to my old room to collect the rest. Four journeys later I had moved everything, and despite being mentally and physically drained I was so relieved that I had managed to do it before Erica had returned from her sordid rendezvous with my, now ex, boyfriend. For a week after it happened I played Adele's 'Someone Like You' on loop and dealt with a plethora of missed calls, texts and voicemail messages from the pair of them telling me how sorry they were and it was a one off drunken mistake, but I had already rebuilt the walls that I was so famous for having in High School and refused to answer any of their pleas.

Despite my strength of resolve, I was so lost. I had gone from having a caring boyfriend and close roommate to nobody except a few friends from my course that I didn't feel close enough to turn to. During my three-hour wait at the housing office I called Quinn and she stayed on the line the whole time. She hardly said a word, just threw in the occasional reassurance or agreement when I threw to her a semi-rhetorical question. She knew me well enough to know that when I was in one of my rages, it was just best to let me talk to out, even if I could go on for hours. She was there for me throughout the rest of the semester and without her support I doubt I would have made it through at all. When I was about ready to ditch it all in and come home, admitting that I couldn't make it on my own in the big wide world, she kept me grounded and forced me to stay.

I was pulled from my thoughts when the sun suddenly seemed to disappear. I was pretty sure that it meant Quinn had found my hiding place. I slowly pulled back my arms and looked up. She had her arms crossed, looking down at me with her eyebrow cocked and I'm pretty sure her toe was tapping on the ground - she always did like to be dramatic.

'Were you planning on joining us at some point this afternoon Madam?'

I gave her a cheeky grin and sat upright, giving my head a moment to adjust to the change in position. 'Well that depends, is all the manual labour complete? These nails cost a fortune to get done.'

Quinn exhaled a deep breath and pushed her previously tapping toe underneath me behind and started to nudge me off the ground until I finally relented and pulled myself up.

'You are unbelievable Santana! Yes your tent awaits your Highness! I even blew up your double air bed and setup the three double comforters you insisted on bringing along, despite being in the middle of a heat wave!'

I patted Quinn on the shoulder as I walked past her and towards base camp, 'You're the best Quinny.' As I walked off I'm pretty sure she growled before running to meet me, looping her arm through mine.

'All my friends are here now, I can't wait to introduce you to them.'

I nodded unenthusiastically. Since Cody and Erica cheated on me, I hadn't been real trusting of letting 'new' people into my life. It seemed like the only people you could honestly depend on were you childhood friends and your family; but I owed it to Quinn to make an effort.

When we arrived at base camp I was surprised by the awesome sight that met me, they had been working incredibly hard. The tents, of which there must have been about ten, were in a perfect circle, with a fire being constructed in the middle. There was a group of three guys and girls standing close together with beers in their hands, laughing and obviously very relaxed around each other. At first I felt a pang of guilt for having not helped out but my second reaction was to run away in the other direction and back to the solitary comfort of my waterfront base. I think Quinn must have felt my hesitation because she grabbled hold of my arm that little bit tighter and practically dragged me over to the group of awaiting friends.

'Hey Guys, I found her! This is Santana.' Quinn bellowed out whilst we were still about ten paces away, I'm pretty sure this was another tactic to stop me getting out of meeting her friends. Although I came across as being confident and feisty, Quinn knew that I found meeting new people in social situations really difficult and to disguise my awkwardness, I often came across as rude and unfriendly.

Their conversation stopped immediately and they all turned to stare in our direction as we closed the space. A blush immediately made it's way to my cheeks and I felt my body tense and my shoulders rise in self-defence. The first person to step forward was a toned and bad-boy looking guy, 'Puck' he said simply and instead of holding out his hand he picked up a beer from the cooler and handed it to me. I received it gratefully and managed to squeeze out a raspy 'Hey'. He nodded, obviously appreciating the fact that I took the beer without any qualms and stepped back for the others to introduce themselves.

'I'm Finn, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm here with my girlfriend Rachel, she's just gone to check out the bathrooms, apparently it is important.' He finished his sentence with a clumsy wave and indicated to the next person to introduce themselves and these next four came in quick succession, 'Mike', 'Tina', 'Lauren' and finally "Mercedes'. I tried to make a mental note of all their names but I knew I wasn't going to manage it.

There was an uncomfortable silence, until the last person to introduce, who I think was called Mercedes, asked if I was feeling better. I looked at her a tad confused, until Quinn stepped in and answered on my behalf, 'Yes, she's a lot better'. She covered my silence and lack of knowledge as to what Mercedes was talking about by saying to me 'I told the girls, I didn't think you'd mind'. The three girls all had sympathetic looks on their faces but the boys looked as confused as I did. Quinn reacted immediately; looking at them sternly and saying, 'Don't even go there'. They got the message instantly and turned away and started up an immediate conversation about football to reassert their manhood. So Quinn had covered for me again, saving me from them all thinking I was just a Class-A lazy bitch that didn't want to help set up camp, by telling them I had period pains. She really did have my best interests at heart, although in this instance I couldn't help but think she was also covering herself a little so that her college friends didn't think she had brought with her such a pathetic excuse for a friend, who refused to get into the 'team building' spirit of the whole camping experience.

Quinn looped her arm in mine again and led me away, 'I'll show you to your tent.'

'Okay', but then I registered what she had said, _my_ tent? 'Don't you mean our tent?'

'Well Santana, there was something I was meaning to talk to you about but haven't quite found the right time.' She took me into a high domed four-man tent that just about fitted my double mattress and bags; it was probably a good thing I was staying in there alone. Once sat on the mattress she took my hand and wet her lips in preparation for a pre-rehearsed speech that she had obviously been planning for the whole day.

'I started seeing someone. His name is Sam and he is a really lovely guy. I've wanted to tell you for a few months now but we started seeing each other the same time that you and Cody broke up so I didn't want to upset you, but I fear that by not telling you all this time I have probably done that anyway.'

It took me a while to process what she was saying. Part of me was annoyed, another part wanted to pull her into a hug and tell her how happy I was that she had found someone, but being me I opted for a shoulder shrug and a suppression of emotions.

'Well that's cool Quinn, just try not to get pregnant this time.' She rolled her eyes, evidently annoyed at my lack of being capable dealing with emotional situations and went to crawl from the tent. But before she could leave I stopped her and pulled her into a tight hug. I may not have been good at talking about my feelings and verbalising exactly what it was I wanted to say, but I did know that a hug with Quinn would let her know that I approved and that I was so grateful to her. I felt her relax in my arms.

'I'll be in the tent next door if you need me.'

I sat cross-legged on my mattress, taking big swigs on my beer and sifting through my bags to find my pyjamas for under my pillow and my secret comforting cuddly toy that I still took with me whenever I went away. It was a zebra that my Dad had given to me when I was a kid. It had been through the wars a bit but was still perfectly cuddly. Very few people knew that I still needed it to help me get to sleep, Quinn being one of them. When I was a college, Erica knew and kindly didn't mock me for it as far as I know, but on the rare occasions when she was away and I had the room to myself and Cody stayed, Zibby the Zebra got hidden in the closet. I don't think I would ever have been able to admit to Cody that I still needed a cuddly toy when I slept alone. I found Zibby tucked in the bottom of my bag and quickly transferred it from there to under my comforter. I felt stupid trying to be so sneaky about it, but the last thing I wanted was for Quinn's new friends to find out about Zibby on my first day of meeting them.

With my cuddly toy concealed and my beer finished I decided it was time to stop hiding out in my tent and actually do some dreaded socialising. I looked over to the now healthy looking campfire that was encircled by a group of chattering people. Some of them looked familiar from our earlier introductions but there were a few faces I didn't recognise and I couldn't see Quinn. Not feeling quite brave enough to face the crowd alone, I thought I would track down Quinn for backup. However, I had failed to ask which next door tent she meant. As we were pitched in a circle, there were two similar-sized tents either side of mine. Just as I was about to take fifty-fifty chance, I saw a flash of blonde hair in the porch of the tent on the left. I headed over and pulled back the unzipped tent flap.

'Quinn, where are all the…'

I stopped myself mid-sentence. Not Quinn's tent, unless Sam was a blonde women and Quinn had something more she needed to explain to me.

'Shit, sorry! Wrong tent, I thought you were…' and so the verbal spew commenced.

Not only had I walked into the wrong tent, I has walked in on a complete stranger who was padding around the porch to their tent in not very much clothing. It was by no means an unpleasant sight. The woman obviously took great care of herself, her abs were to die for.

'… someone else. I'll go and let you get changed into some more clothes.' My ramble continued and by this point I was staring at the ground, slowly backing out of the tent and fumbling around behind me for unzipped entrance.

'You must be Santana.' Said a cheery and apparently in no way embarrassed voice.

I chanced a look up and noticed this scantily clad blonde was stood quite close to me now with her hand outstretched. I took her hand, it would be rude not to considering the circumstances, and shook it.

"I'm Brittany, it's great to meet you. Don't worry about the intrusion, I may be in my underwear but to be honest I don't see how someone seeing you in like this', she gestured towards her toned figure, 'is any different to seeing someone in a bikini. How comes one is socially acceptable but the other isn't?'

I wasn't sure if she expected an answer from me or not so I gave her a nod in agreement and she took that as a sign to carry on.

'I had unzipped the tent because it is so hot in here! So that is totally by bad, so don't worry. Anyway, I think you were looking for Quinn, she's in the tent on the other-side to you… although I wouldn't go barging in there just yet, I walked past about five minutes ago and I'm pretty sure I heard sex-noises.'

I was starting to feel increasingly uncomfortable and just wanted to run back to the safety of my tent and read the copy of Cosmo that I had already read five times on the car journey here.

'If you give me five minutes, I'll put on some clothes and we can go over to the campfire together. I think we're having sausages tonight, unless your one of those veggie vegan types, then you'll have to talk to Rachel about what tofu-delights she brought with her this time.'

I was starting to wonder when this girl took time to take a breath; words just seemed to flow out of her. I realised I was still staring at her when she has stopped talking. I guess she was expecting an answer.

'That would be great, I'll just, go wait, outside' I turned to leave.

My heart was beating so fast, the encounter made me feel even more unnerved than I already did and to make things worse, the only person that I knew and that I was relying on to introduce to me the others was too busy banging her new boyfriend!

I looked over to the group around the fire. The guy with the Mohawk I had met earlier was setting a guitar on his knee and started strumming. The group immediately turned towards him and started nodding their heads and moving to the beat. I should have guessed that Quinn had made friends with a load of music loving hippies.

_White lips pale face, breathing in the snowflakes_

_Burnt lungs, sour taste_

_Lights gone, days end_

_I'm struggling to pay rent_

_Long nights, strange men_

I was enjoying the mellow sound of his voice when suddenly Brittany jumped from inside her tent, one arm in the air and the other grabbing my wrist as she started to sing the chorus.

_And they say she's in the class A-Team_

_Stuck in her daydreams, been this way since 18 but lately_

_Her face seems, slowly sinking wasting_

_Crumbling like pastries and they scream_

_The worst things in like come free to us_

By this point Brittany has marched us over to where the others stood. They were all turned towards us, letting Brittany sing her heart out to the song.

_Because we're…_

And with that line she encouraged the others to join in with her. They completed the song with harmonies, adlibs and solo dances. I felt my spirit lift and although I barely moved, I felt part of the group instantly. At the end of the song they all clapped one another, congratulating them on their individual inputs and touches. I could see why Quinn was always raving about them, they were a fantastically supportive ensemble.

I felt a hand on my back and turned to see a slightly out of breath and hurried Quinn.

'Sorry Santana, I was just taking a nap.' She gave me a knowing smile. I turned in her grip and saw a blonde big-lipped guy standing next to her, looking equally as hurried. 'This is Sam.'

We all settled down in a circle around the campfire. I was nestled between Quinn and Finn, who were both holding on for dear life to their other halves. It made me feel sickeningly single. In fact, just looking around the entire circle made me realise how single I was! The Mohawk kid was snuggled up to, who I think was called Lauren, but is was confusing because they all referred to her as Zizzies or something to that effect, there were two guys holding hands and occasionally gazing lovingly at one another, who Quinn later told me was Kurt and Blaine, Mike and Tina who I had met earlier, and then three others perched together, Brittany in the middle with Mercedes on her left and a guy called Artie in a wheelchair on her right. Quinn had told me about Artie on the way to the campsite, apparently they had deliberately gone for this site because it was wheelchair friendly, they had all agreed that they wouldn't go away anywhere together that meant he couldn't come too.

Finn and Puck had made some fantastic food and I was well and truly stuffed. I felt as though I could have stayed there all night watching them chatting and singing, I could completely understand why Quinn was so content, they obviously all provided each other with a fantastic support network and no one was left out on any basis of difference. It made me feel tingly inside, not that I would ever openly admit that, but I think Quinn knew that a week away with this merry crew was exactly what I needed to get myself in a happier place.

The air was starting to get colder and I could tell we were going to be hanging out there until the earlier hours so I took the break in the musical entertainment to grab myself a sweater and some more beers which had been stashed in the front of Quinn's tent in a giant cool box. Brittany must have had the same thoughts as me, as she was heading out of her tent with a bottle of wine, a plastic cup and a blanket. She gave me a full smile and stopped in front of me for a chat.

'You better not be heading to bed, the night is young and I haven't even had a chance to test out your dancing skills yet!'

I promised her I wasn't going to bed, that I was just getting a jumper and a drink, but she claimed not to trust me. Instead she ran back to her tent, grabbed another plastic cup and led me back to where she had been sitting in the circle.

'I'm not saying I don't trust you, but I have everything you need right here. You can share my blanket and wine. Deal?'

Usually I wouldn't have let anyone boss me around like she was, but there something about her innocence and playfulness that made it impossible to disagree with her.

'Deal.'

She yet again gave me that full grin, which caused me to mirror her. I hadn't smiled like that at anyone in months. In fact I rarely smiled at all these days.

We got back to the circle and she led we over to where she had been sitting with Mercedes and Artie. There was plenty of space on the bench and at first there were a good few inches between us. However, as the wine flowed and it got later I found that we had got closer together. I put it down to being drawn towards her for body heat until I realised that the hand she had placed square on my thigh under the blanket hadn't moved for a good five minutes. I tried not to think anything of it, and to be honest I enjoyed having physical contact with someone after so long of not letting anyone get close to me.

The music, which had been quite upbeat, took a mellow turn, when Sam took the guitar from Puck and did a duet with Quinn of Jason's Mraz's Lucky. The decrease in noise and movement meant that I became aware of how tipsy I was. My cup and the bottle of wine were empty and I was starting to feel hazy. Halfway through their song I felt Brittany inch slightly closer to me and when I looked towards her I saw that her cheeks had grown rosy from the wine.

'Are you cold?' she asked, almost in a whisper.

'A little'

She instinctively placed her arm around my back and before I knew what I was doing I had placed my head on her shoulder. I felt more safe and relaxed than I had in a long time and I couldn't believe that someone I had only met hours previously was able to provide that level of comfort for me. Had Quinn told her what had happened? She must have done, otherwise why would Brittany have realise that I needed comforting and that I needed someone to make small gestures like she had done for me this evening. Perhaps I was just reading too much into it, Brittany did seem like an open and tactile person, so maybe it was just her way of making me feel welcomed into the group.

Once the song ended, the group had seemed to all settle into a sleepy and peaceful mood. However, I became increasingly conscious of how close Brittany and I was sitting, so in true Santana style, I panicked when I felt Quinn's eyes settled on us. I begrudgingly moved myself from Brittany's embrace and when she looked at me for a reason, I simply said that I needed to get some sleep. She gave me a sleepy smile and murmured 'Sleep well'.

I made the short journey back to my tent and couldn't help but feel that someone was watching me. When I got to the zipper I couldn't fight the urge anymore and when I looked back there was only one set on eyes on me. Brittany didn't look remotely embarrassed at being caught, it was as though she wanted to make sure I made it back safe, even if it was only a few steps away. Once I'd made eye contact with her she turned back to carry on singing.

In my tent I stripped off to just boy shorts and bra, I would usually sleep completely naked but that seemed a little risqué, and flopped on top of my comforters. When I closed my eyes, the image of Brittany sitting close against me with her rosy cheeks, asking if I was cold popped into my vision. My eyes flew open. What the hell was that about? But before I had time to think it through Quinn's head appeared in the entrance to my tent.

'Santana, have you had a good day?' Her voice seemed laced with apprehension, knowing that when asking me that kind of question the answer could really go either way depending on my mood.

'Yes, I did. Thanks Quinn.'

I could only just make out her face in the dimness of the tent, but it was enough to see the relief.

'Good. Night Santana.'


	2. Chapter 2

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

**Chapter Two**

I awoke to the sound of nature. Not something I was accustomed to having lived in New York for the past nine months, and I'm not sure it was something I wanted to get that used to either. At least when some noisy and obnoxious garbage man woke you up early in the morning in New York you could open your window and offer him some expletive advice about where exactly he can put his trashcan. However, I discovered that climbing out of your tent in your underwear to shout at some kind of bird doesn't have the same effect. In the midst of my sleep-ridden rage I'd forgotten to note that if I left my tent in just my underwear, it was likely that someone was going to see me. I heard someone let out a stifled laugh as I pointed towards a nearby tree and told the offending bird that if they didn't shut up I was going to go up there and shut them up myself.

'Well, at least we're even now'

Brittany was stood beside her tent in a pair of very short shorts and a crop-top.

'Sorry?' I looked down at my own body and suddenly riddled with embarrassment tried my best to casually cover up by placing one arm across my stomach and the other at an angle across my thighs.

'Well now I've seen you in your underwear as well.' She paused for a second, tilting her head to get a better look at my body which made me squirm even more.

'You have great body definition, do you work out?' She asked as if we were having the most average conversation in the world, but when I looked at her all I could see was her impeccable abs and the sweat making it's way down her body. I attempted at a response but a babble of sorts came out about how I sometimes train but not as much as I used to and that I wanted to get back into it. In my head all I was thinking was, _Shut Up!_

'Well maybe tomorrow you could join me for my morning run? I could put you through your paces. I'm a great personal trainer… or so I've been told anyway.' She winked at me as she said it and I couldn't control the blush that started on my chest and rose to my ears. I knew she could see it and I had no idea how she had caused it but I knew I had to get out of the way of her gaze before I made an even bigger fool of myself.

'Well I'm off for a shower, probably see you down there.' She grabbed her towel and toiletry bag from the ground in front of her and ambled towards the bathroom block.

I watched her walk away, mesmerised by the swing of her hips and the muscles of her back that tensed and relaxed as she walked. I snapped myself out of my daze, why the hell was I starring a woman like I would a guy? I had done the whole bi-sexual phase at High School for God's sake. I kissed Quinn countless times to get attention from guys and even bought an Ani Difranco CD when I was considering going full-time bisexual but then I got a boyfriend, followed by another boyfriend and then there was Cody. I'd never ruled out falling for a women, well to be perfectly honest I'd hadn't thought about falling for a woman for a long time, and I loved men and their manliness. This had to be something else. Brittany was nice and she was hot, that didn't mean I was developing feelings for her. This was just some kind of crazy rebound thing after Cody. I loved men.

With that resolve in place and my heterosexuality confirmed, without hesitation I grabbled my shower things and followed Brittany down to the shower block.

Once inside I could only hear one shower running. Brittany must have heard me place me stuff down on the bench and lock the shower cubicle door because she shouted out 'Santana' as more of a statement of fact rather than a question. From my time in the Cheerios I was used to having shower-time chats, so this was anything out of the ordinary.

'Yep'

'Oh great, it's you! I've forgotten my shampoo, could I borrow yours before you get in the shower?'

Again I told myself that was nothing unusual; I forgot things all the time.

'Sure, I'll roll it under to you.' I unlocked my door and when I turned to her cubicle her door was already unlocked and opened before I had a chance to look away. Naked Brittany was inches away from me with her hand held out. She didn't even flinch and there I was desperately trying to look her straight in the eye, telling myself that whatever happens I must not look down. I held out the bottle, maintaining eye contact with her at all times, which resulted in me misjudging the distance and brushing her breast with the back of my hand. She laughed and asked if I was okay. I was so mortified that I knew my face probably looked like a tomato, but once again she seemed completely unaffected by the whole situation and suggested that I squeezed some into her hand for her to use so I could take it back to my cubicle to wash my own hair.

That was completely logical, why was I acting like some teenage boy that had never seen another naked woman before! She must have thought I was such a weirdo. With the shampoo safely in her palm she looked me square in the eyes and gave me, what I can only interpret as a sultry look. She spun smoothly on her heal, flicked her wet hair and walked back into her cubicle without locking the door behind her.

I was frozen to the spot, staring at her retreating form. When she made it to the showers she gave me a coy look and asked 'Did you want to join me?'

My jaw nearly hit the floor and then I realised that she wasn't asking because she wanted me to, but because I was still standing there watching her shower. I moved my mouth a few times to answer and then managed to verbalise, 'NO, no sorry. Um, don't you want to close the door'.

She nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders and replied 'nah, I'm nearly done here anyway.'

I run away back to my shower without answering her back. I couldn't help but think she knew exactly what she was doing and was deliberately trying to make me feel… feel what though? Did she like me but was making me act as if I liked her… ok even I knew that sounded ridiculously, but what exactly was her game, that is if she had a game at all. I decided that it must have been in my head, I was losing the plot and blaming it on this innocent woman who was just comfortable enough with her body not to care who saw it.

I stayed in the shower as long as I possibly could so that I knew she was definitely finished and then dried myself and got dressed before I came out of cubicle. I heard a hum of voices come into the block; it was the other girls from our camp, including Quinn.

'Manage to attack any birds this morning?' I went bright red for the third time that morning and Quinn's brow furrowed. 'I heard you shouting at the birds this morning?'

Phew, I was sure she was taking about me practically punching Brittany in the boob with a bottle of shampoo but I should have known better than to think that Quinn would refer to a woman, let alone her friend, as a bird.

'Oh yes, sorry. I'm used to shouting at obnoxious garbage men in the morning.'

Walking back from the block I mentally cursed myself for allowing Brittany to take over my thoughts again. I needed to get this woman out of my head before I went insane.

I decided that I was going to spend the morning alone by the waterfront. Quinn had told me that there were some group plans for the day, but they weren't until the afternoon. She asserted that they were mandatory activities and no matter what I was not getting out of them for the rest of the week. Reaffirming that she had already lied to her friends for me once about setting up camp; she assured me that she wasn't going to do it again. Quinn believed that the best way to get me back on my feet again was to be around people who encouraged me to think positively and start to regain my trust and confidence. I had been sceptical but just one day with this group had started to make me think that she was possibly right. Not that I would admit that to her just yet.

At the lake I plugged in my ipod and enjoyed the dulcet tones of Adele's album whilst watching the water ripple back and forth. I had always loved water and it seemed to have an instant calming effect on me. After the incident with Cody and Erica in New York I would often go for long walks around New York to clear my head. They could go on for hours but at some point I always ended up at the Hudson River in lower Manhattan. Watching water seemed to allow me to clear my head, it wasn't as though it helped me think through things, it erased them for that period of time and I was grateful for the silence and the absence of worry.

I felt a warm body place themselves next to me on the ground, accidentally nudging into me as they hooked their arms beneath their lifted knees, mirroring my position.

'Do you mind if I join you?'

Although I had my headphones in I could make out their voice above Adele's soulfulness.

'Sure'

I took the headphone out of my left ear and offered it to Brittany, who took it willingly.

Her forearm occasionally ghosted against mine and in my periphery I could see the silhouetted profile of her face. She smelled stunning and I had to fight the urge to lean my head on her shoulder as I had done last night to take in her intoxicating scent even more. We didn't speak after that until the album ended, and I was surprised that I could spend such an extended period of time in close proximity with someone that I barely knew without talking and not feel awkward about it. She removed the headphone from her ear, cradled it in her fingers and waited for me to speak.

'I'm sorry I was uncomfortable with you this morning. I didn't mean to be. You just caught me off guard and I'm in a pretty defensive place at the moment.' Throughout and after I spoke I kept my eyes pinned to the water ahead of me. When I needed to say something important or difficult I found it easier to remove myself from the conversation by not looking at the person I was taking to. That way I didn't have to deal with their reaction and often I found that saved me a lot of guilt.

'It's fine. I know you're hurting' I could feel her eyes boring into the side of my face, 'and I know you're trying to push people away because it is easier to not have to deal with things and pretend that they don't exist, but they do and Quinn brought you here because she cares about you. She wants you to be okay.'

I felt slightly betrayed that Quinn had talked to Brittany about me. I thought that being with them would be a clean break; that they wouldn't know about what I was hiding from, but apparently that wasn't the case.

'And please don't be mad at Quinn for telling me. The others don't know anything, just me. She's my study buddy at college and I was with her when you called after you found Cody and Erica together.' I could feel tiny pinpricks of tears in the corners of my eyes as she spoke. 'I know what happened, what they did to you and why you have such trouble trusting people. Quinn has been so worried about you and she doesn't know how to handle it on her own. She's terrified you're going to do something stupid.'

I hadn't given much thought as to how my actions had impacted on Quinn. The strain I must have put her under with my constant emotional need and upset. Quinn had been so strong and now I realised why she had been able to be, she's had Brittany to keep her going, just as I'd had her.

'That's why she asked me to pitch my tent on the other side to yours, and why I knew that you were well enough to help yesterday with setting up camp but didn't want to join in. It's why I didn't care that you walked in on me in my underwear and why I insisted that you didn't go back to your tent last night, in case you got stuck there and didn't come back.'

I was stuck now, unable to react because my brain was racing to process all the information. But before I had a chance to go into emotional shutdown, she put her arm about me as she had the night before and pulled me towards her and then I broke. I didn't feel it coming, but feeling her close to me I felt safe enough to let go. I sobbed without restraint in someone's embrace for the first time since Cody had cheated on me. Even though Quinn had been there for me over the phone and now in person, I hadn't let her comfort me physically. Every time she had tried I wriggled away and pushed down my feeling even deeper.

I wasn't wailing like you see people do on the TV when they brokedown, I was quiet and allowed the tears that had been locked up fall freely. I felt her lips press against my temple and I felt safe. After ten minutes I pulled back from her and she brought her spare hand across and wiped the tears from my cheeks and offered me a tissue from her pocket to blow my nose and clear the black residue of make-up from below my eyes.

'Better?' she asked simply and I nodded, allowing myself to look at her for the first time since she had sat down.

'Good. I think they're serving lunch, fancy getting some?' She rose and offered her hand to help me up. I took it thankfully and let our hands linger together for slightly longer than necessary, so I could enjoy her calming touch for slightly longer. I felt strange and exposed having let Brittany in, even it was for a brief period of time in the scheme of things, but despite the urge to put up my emotional walls I managed to keep them quite low.

After lunch we headed to the activities centre to see what delights Rachel had booked us in for today. I was starting to realise that having delegated the job of 'Activities Co-Coordinator' to Rachel might have been an oversight by the others in the group. I was hoping for a relaxing week away, but it now looked set to be an action packed holiday, filled with agonizingly twee teambuilding activities.

We were split into two teams and given a serious of objects with which we had to work together to build a raft. The competition side of it being that the raft had to stay afloat for the longest period of time with all members of the team aboard. Mercedes and Artie had already exempted themselves from the activity, on the grounds that neither of them could swim, and had, rather begrudgingly for the rest of us, settled themselves with a beer in one hand and a book in other, claiming to Rachel that they were gutted they couldn't join in but would be sure to help at the judging stage.

Rachel had already chosen the teams, and I was placed under Finn's captaincy alongside Brittany, Kurt, Tina, Lauren and Sam. We got to work pretty quickly and I found that I was surprisingly good at construction. They worked incredibly well together with hardly any disagreements occurring. The first attempt at a raft failed miserably, with Finn climbing aboard, only to be propelled off within about five minutes because he tried to stand up and do a 'King of the World' Titanic impression. Unfortunately for Finn, Rachel caught him doing what she described as 'mocking her activities' and committing 'film blasphemy by parodying one of history's most epic and dramatic film moments without unabashed joviality'. I had to admit, most of the time I had no idea what Rachel was talking about, but she did keep me amused. I could also tell by the look that she gave Finn that he certainly wasn't going to be getting any for a few nights, at least.

Second attempt at the raft was much better, and sturdy enough that we were all happy to attempt getting onboard. Miraculously it stayed afloat and considering that the other group still hadn't managed to make something that actually stayed afloat without anyone even getting on it, we were announced outright winners. During our celebrations, we got a little over excited which resulted in all of us falling from the raft. I feel backwards and although I could swim and liked looking at water, I wasn't all that keen on swimming at one with nature. I liked to be able to see the bottom and know that the water has been cleaned with chemicals that prevented me from catching some gross disease. I felt something brush past my leg, probably a harmless fish, but I freaked out and started thrashing about in the water. My heart was racing and I struggled to breath. The only problem was that everyone was laughing and joking so much that they didn't realise I was in a state of panic; apart from one person who had obviously made it her job to keep a close eye on me. I felt a strong hand wrap around my waist and hold me close until I stilled. I looked over and Brittany was once again inches away from my face. Her lips were moving but in my state and the screeching of excited voices I couldn't work out what she was saying. However, it didn't seem to matter, her touch had the desired calming effect and I trusted her enough to stop panicking and followed her as she helped me swim back towards shore where my feet could touch the ground. Even when I was walking through the water, she didn't let go until we were securely on the shore.

'You're safe now.' She squeezed my hand and then let it drop when the others came over to congratulate us with hugs and high fives. My breathing had slowed and the fright that had completely overcome me subsided, as I was included in the celebrations. Apparently our victory meant that we didn't have to cook dinner that evening, which was a relief because I was hopeless at cooking in a normal kitchen, never mind in the outdoors.

'Great work Santana' Lauren appeared beside me and whacked me on the butt, which was surprisingly painful. 'And guess what, you've been nominated the exciting job of collecting firewood with me for tonight. Aren't you a lucky thing.' She started walking off in the direction of the woods and I followed, trying to maintain the upbeat mood I had contracted from the group, rather than refusing and storming off back to my tent like I would have done usually.

As I was hesitating, Lauren turned and hit her thigh, saying 'Come on, Santana' like I was some small disobedient dog she needed to encourage. However, instead of going off in a rage telling her 'not to dare talk to be like that', I followed and even chuckled at her actions, what was happening to me?

'So, you seem to be getting alone nicely with the group.' Lauren mused whilst we were quite far away from camp collecting good campfire sticks. I was glad Lauren was with me because I didn't have a clue what constituted a good stick for a fire, so every so often she would come over and check my stash, which consisted of her throwing away half of them.

'I guess' I still didn't feel like I knew her well enough to have a heart to heart so I tried to stop the conversation dead in its tracks.

'Wow, you really have built those walls so high you don't want to let anyone in about anything, do you?' She'd stopped what she was doing and looked over at me. I wasn't in the mood to start a fight with her but if she pushed me any further I was definitely going to consider it, she didn't look all that hard to me. As I didn't reply she continued, 'Look, I'm not trying to have a go at you, or find out your deepest darkest secrets, I'm trying to have a normal conversation, okay?'

I relented, mainly because I didn't want to let Quinn down by starting a fight with one of her friends and what exactly was I even starting a fight with her for? She was right after all.

'Okay, sorry. Yes you are a good bunch, even if you do insist on singing all the time.'

Lauren let out a hearty laugh and swung an arm around my shoulder, 'You know what they say Santana, if you can't beat them, join them. You never know, you might even find you let yourself have some fun.'

She led me back towards camp, which was a good thing because I really had no idea where I was going, my sense of direction was quite appalling.

'Maybe I'll attempt throwing some shapes tonight if there is a sing along' I was warming to the idea of joining in with them. The night before, after I had headed to bed, I could still hear them singing and dancing until the early hours and couldn't help but feel I'd missed out.

'IF there is a sing along… you have been paying some attention since you arrived here right? These guys are a permanent sing along! And I am holding you to that maybe.'

'Yes, it is a definite maybe' I was starting to like this girl, she had a bit more fight to her than some of the others in the group, it was a nice contrast.

'And a word of advice, if you want a good dance partner then head for Brittany. It doesn't matter who she dances with, she can make them look like a super star. I'm not sure how that girl managed to move the way the way she does, and I know she's a dance major so it is kind of important she can dance, but it really is something special. At the end of the last semester we all went to see her end of year performance, and even with all those other dancers around her she stood out a mile.'

So Brittany was a dancer; that would explain the toned abs, hot legs and early morning running regime. I was going to have to stay up late tonight so I could catch glimpse of her moves, it might just inspire me to change my maybe to a yes.

Once back at base camp, I got myself ready for the evening's entertainment. Quinn had forced me to bring fancy dress with me, and tonight was a Flapper and Gangster theme. She had tried to get me to try on one of her flapper dresses, with pearls and feather headband, but I outright refused, telling her that I would go Gangster; it was much more my scene. I had black trousers, white shirt, black tie, suspenders and a hat. I knew I looked hot, but who was I looking hot for? Usually I would dress up and get my strut on at some house party, flirting with anyone I could get my hands on, I'd had numerous one night stands with guys since Cody and every time I woke in the morning, collected my things together and left before they even got up. I'd discovered that sex was better without feelings. Quinn was scared that I was going to get myself in a difficult situation and that it was a sign of how little I felt of myself; she was once again right, I knew the guys I slept with only wanted one thing from me, but for that night it made me think that someone wanted me and was attracted to me, even if it was a lie and I was being used. At least tonight there was only one single guy in the group, Artie, and as far as I could tell he wasn't interested in me, he was interested in a certain blonde dancer. I noticed it this afternoon when we were doing the raft; he was the other person, alongside me, that couldn't keep their eyes of her bikini-clad form.

Once dressed and of course fashionably late, I made my way from my tent and headed towards the swarm of fancy-dressers around the fire. They had already started eating and when Tina caught sight of me lingering by my tent, she called out and signalled for me to join them, 'You better hurry or they'll be no food left!' I heeded her warning, as after our action packed afternoon by the lake I was starving. I mingled them with them and it was almost as though I had known them for years. I could feel the months of stress start to flow away and felt content just being there and enjoying the moment.

After food, the group all took their seats, the drinks were circulated and the evening's entertainment commenced. What Quinn hadn't told me about their themed nights was that each of them had been grouped off to create a musical number based on the theme. First up to perform were those doing songs from _Chicago_; Rachel and Quinn did a pretty impressive version of 'Roxie', followed by Lauren and Mercedes doing 'When You're Good to Mama' and finally Kurt and Blaine performing an jazzed up version of 'Mr Cellophane', which I'm not convinced worked. Next up was _Singing in the Rain_ with Tina and Mike doing a vamped up version of the title song, with Tina singing and Mike dancing like silk around her. Then finally songs from _Bugsy Malone_; Puck, Finn, Sam and Artie did a fantastic rendition of 'Bad Guys' and that just left Brittany. She gave me a coy smile and walked over to where I sat with her hand held out. I could feel everyone's eyes on me and it became clear that Quinn hadn't only forgotten to tell me about the organised entertainment, but that she had also forgotten to mention that I was about to become part of it.

'You didn't think you were going to get out of this did you?'

I stayed in place, looking at her and trying to mentally project how much I didn't want to sing and dance in front of everyone.

'Come on Santana, we're all friends here! Quinn tells me you're quite the little singer and when you were younger you performed a pretty spotless version of 'My Name is Tallulah'.'

Still I didn't respond and I could tell her disappointment was starting to grow, but lucky for her, and rather unsurprisingly, the others in the group helped her out on her quest. Finn started chanting my name, closely followed by the others; this coupled with Brittany's puppy dog eyes, not dissimilar from Quinn's which made me wonder if she had advised her to use them on me to make me sing, meant that had no choice but to rise from my seat and take her hand.

Before I had a chance to argue, the backing track music had begun and I took an emergency sip on my drink before hesitantly starting the song. I was wondering how I was supposed to duet it with Brittany without having rehearsed it beforehand, but that soon became apparently. She glided around me, apparently she had already choreographed a routine ready, and throughout the song I could feel my gaze being pulled to her effortless movements. The way she moved had an effect on me that I couldn't describe. I managed to make it through the song without much difficulty, mainly because I had sung it so many times with Quinn during our childhood obsession with the movie. When we were done everyone stood and cheered, and Brittany, who I now realised had dressed to look the spitting image of Tallulah pulled me into a tight and meaningful embrace. I rested my head on her shoulder and felt her breath tickle my neck as she did the same.

'You're a fantastic singer Santana, you shouldn't be hiding a talent like that from the world.'

I'd never had someone complement my singing like that before, mainly because I hadn't sung in front of anyone since I was a kid.

Whilst Brittany and I were sharing this intimate moment, the rest of the group had other plans. They cranked up the music, this time not from the 1920s era, and got the party started. I broke away from Brittany and made a beeline for the drinks cooler. Maybe it was time to let loose a little and enjoy some drinking and dancing!

As the night continued, the group got drunker and drunker, until everyone was grinding up against everyone else. Lauren was dancing next to me at one point and said 'I told you Brittany was the best person to dance with. You guys rocked that song earlier.' I was about to reply when I felt hands on my waist from behind and a familiar comforting voice interrupt our conversation.

'You're damn right we rocked!' Brittany was moulded into my back and now started to move her hips against mine to the beat of the song. I was momentarily distracted by the actions and when I turned back I realised that Lauren had moved to dance seductively with Puck.

With Lauren moving away, we were set slightly apart from the rest of the groups and at first I couldn't help but feel tense against her body. But in the end I had to give up fighting, it was practically impossible not to move with Brittany when she danced that close to you. We didn't speak to one another and within minutes the soothing movement of her body caused my eyes to close and my hips to relax into a gentle rhythm with hers. Before I knew what I was doing I allowed my head to roll backwards and rest of her shoulder and that's when I felt warm lips press against my exposed neck. I expelled a breath as they moved further down, placing another soft kiss where my neck met my shoulder, followed by another on my collarbone.

'Santana!'

The moment was broken when I heard Quinn yelling my name. My eyes shot open and I realised what had just happened. I was letting Brittany kiss my neck! She saw the alarm on my face and tried to grab my wrist before I had a chance to run away, but for once I was quicker than she was and had disappeared through the crowd of people before she had a chance to stop me. My pulse was racing and I just hoped that no one else in the group had seen it happen, luckily they were all drunk and too involved with their own physical encounters to be paying any attention to mine as far as I could see.

When I got to the refuge of Quinn, she grabbed me around the neck and started babbling some drunken nonsense about how I was her bestest bestest bestest friend in the whole wide world ever. This was a regular occurrence when she was drunk and usually it would get on my nerves, but right now I was relieved that it was a welcome distraction from what had just happened with Brittany. People had gathered around to hear Quinn's well rehearsed tale of how we had met in Junior High School and I pretended to be listening, when in fact I was replaying over and over again how it felt to have Brittany soft lips against my bare skin. It was heavenly and I wanted her to do it all over again but it was far too scary to even think about. I was not a lesbian, nor was an ever going to be one. I convinced myself that Brittany was an overly tactile drunk and had taken our newfound friendship a little too far. Halfway through Quinn's tale my eyes locked with Brittany's, she wasn't paying attention to what was being said either, she was only watching me. I felt scared and far too pressured by her intenseness and the first opportunity I had after Quinn had stopped telling the story, I ran away and back to the safety of my tent.

I thought I had made it, but then I felt a hand on my shoulder and from the tentativeness of the touch I knew who it belonged to. I didn't turn around because I didn't want her to know that the kisses had had any impact on me, even though I was sure that it was pretty apparent that they had.

'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that.' She was pleading with me and I couldn't deal with the emotional pressure of having to talk to her about what had happened, so I lied.

'Brittany it's fine, I'm really tired and really drunk, so I think I need to get some sleep now.'

'Okay, I know you're lying and freaking out; but I want you to know that I know you're not gay and I shouldn't have kissed you like that, I got carried away because I'm drunk and I think you're beautiful. So I wanted you to know that I'm sorry. I won't let it happen again'

She didn't wait for me to reply, she gently removed her hand from my shoulder and I could hear her retreating across the grass. When I had recovered my senses, I scrambled into my tent and hid under my comforter. My neck still tingled from were her lips and been and my stomach filled with butterflies of excitement and fear. And no matter how much I tried to change my thoughts, all I could think about was the fact that Brittany thought I was beautiful.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

**Chapter Three**

I declined Brittany's offer to join her on her morning run, not that I wasn't awake; the drinking from the night before coupled with the heat of the tent made me so dehydrated that I had woken with a start at 6am, gasping for breath. I opened the tent and managed to amble to the bathroom block to fill my water bottle and run my wrists under the cold tap to cool down. It didn't take long for the memory of Brittany's lips on my neck to kick in. It made my head spin. I couldn't process all the feelings that the memory evoked for me. A woman kissed me and I enjoyed it. How was that possible? I convinced myself that it couldn't be possible, there was no way I was interested in women, all I needed to do was find myself a hot, sexy man that I could jump to prove to myself and to everyone else that I was straight. Brittany was nice and all, a great potential friend, but not dating or kissing material. If I went down that route, before I'd knew what was happening I would be joining a golf team and cutting all my hair off. There was no way that could happen.

I had convinced myself and was all ready to get my manhunt on, when a sleep-ridden Brittany came stumbling into the bathroom block. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me and I could tell she wanted to turn around and head back out of the door, but I held my hands up before she could do anything. She looked adorable and I wanted to walk towards her and neaten her hair that was in a messy bun and currently falling over her face, but then I remembered my resolve, Brittany was out of bounds. I wanted to say, 'morning' or 'hi' but instead I looked at her, gave a half smile and walked past her to the door. I heard her say my name as I left the block, obviously pleading for my attention but I knew if I turned around I'd be drawn back in and that was not going to happen.

Out in the open, the cool morning air hit my skin and I felt like I could breath normally again. I knew I had probably hurt Brittany but in the long run it was safer, there was no point in me leading her on and making her think I was interested if I wasn't, sometimes you had to be cruel to be kind. Once safely back in my tent, I let sleep take it's toll again and enjoyed a heavy slumber.

Well that was until I felt myself being shaken about and shouted at by Quinn, who had obviously decided that sleeping past 9am was not prohibited on her week of camping fun. She whined my name and despite my best efforts to fight her off and keep my eyes firmly closed, she won the battle of wills and eventually I sat upright in my bed and demanded she leave me alone to get up.

'One question before I leave….' I nodded, giving her permission to continue, 'climbing wall?' She knew me too well to know I couldn't resist climbing. I loved heights! We had been climbing several times during the summer vacations from High School and she knew how awesome I was at it. The wide grin that sprung onto my face was enough confirmation for Quinn and she gave me a high five, 'See you in 20 minutes.'

I got out of bed as fast as I could, managing to ignore the dull ache in my head, nothing a cold shower and a couple of painkillers couldn't sort out. I took my shower, got into the climbing gear that Quinn had told me to bring with me and made my way over to where the group had gathered ready for the morning activity. When I approached the group they were buzzing with excitement, all in suitable climbing wear, accept for Brittany who was wearing a bohemian floral long skirt and white top, with bangles and long necklaces. She was stood behind Artie and when the group started to make a move she pushed him along the tough terrain to where the climbing wall was hidden near the entrance to the wood. I was desperate to ask her why she wasn't taking part, but that would mean going against my resolve not to engage with the blonde unless completely necessary.

'Right' the perky instructor stood in front of the group, introducing herself as Kim with her cute British accent. There was no denying that she was in great shape, wearing a cropped top that showed off her six pack and the muscles in her arms and legs were obvious even without her flexing them. She got us into pairs, I was with Quinn as we had already climbed before, and went through the safety procedures before we could start climbing. She noticed pretty quickly that I was experienced and came over to talk to Quinn and I about moving onto the more difficult part of the wall, whilst the other struggled on with the beginner's section.

Kim offered to show me some new moves, so she climbed alongside me, constantly reassuring me and complimenting me on my technique. I didn't think anything of it; it was her job to help me out, but later I would realise how our little exchange was being interpreted from ground level. Kim placed her hand on my back when we got to a particularly difficult point to make me feel more comfortable about reaching for the next grip. I could feel her eyes watching me from the side, but to me it just came across as her being focussed on helping me achieve the difficult manoeuvre. When we finally made it to the top, it was the most difficult climb I'd ever managed, she held my thigh and assisted me to swing my leg over so I could make it safely onto the platform. My arms were shaking so much from holding my weight that I couldn't have done so without her. I stood on the top platform, placed my arms onto my head and took slow deep breaths to steady my breathing. It was such a huge achievement and I felt like I was on top of the world. I could see right across the lake in one direction and across the woods in the other. Within seconds Kim was stood next to me and patted me on the back to congratulate me on the climb. I leaned into her body and let her squeeze me in a celebratory embrace. However, just as she did so I looked down and saw Brittany's gaze starring straight back up at me. I felt sick. She looked so hurt and I realised how the interaction between Kim and I must have looked from the ground. She said something to Artie and then turned and headed back to base camp. I wanted to shout out to her, but before I could Kim had started to discuss how I was to get back down and the moment passed. She was too far away and I had enough time to remind myself of the promise I'd made not to lead her on anymore.

Back on solid ground the others gathered around me, asking what my climb had been like and how long I'd been doing it as a hobby. I tried to answer their questions and stay engaged with the conversation but the hurt on Brittany's face haunted me. Was she jealous of Kim? How had I gone from having a boyfriend, to making a woman jealous because a toned climbing instructor was flirting with me! I wanted to chase Brittany and tell her it wasn't what it looked like, but that was an insane thought. Why did I care what it looked like and why did I feel the need to have to justify myself to a woman I'd only just met and who knew I wasn't a lesbian?

I went straight to the campsite store after the session, desperate for something full of calories to replace the vast amounts that I had burned during my climb. The store was small but packed full of all the essentials you could possibly need for camping. It meant that you had to squeeze past everyone else in the shop to get where you needed to go. The candies were against the back wall and as I headed towards it Brittany was coming towards me with an armful of chips. She froze like a rabbit caught in the headlights when she saw me and I tried to make it past her without it being too uncomfortable. However, as I turned away from her to squeeze by, she turned towards me, so the front of her body was pressed into my back. We were so close I could feel her breath on my neck and she breathed out at the sudden close contact and murmured 'sorry' so quietly I barely heard her. I moved away as quickly as I could and headed for the back wall, pretending that nothing out of the ordinary was happening. I continued my shop, perusing the shelves and desperate to ignore the fact that she hadn't moved from where I had pushed past her.

'Are you going to avoid me for the rest of the holiday?'

I didn't turn around to look at her when I replied, 'I'm not avoiding you.' We both knew it was a lie; I was avoiding her even as I said it!

'Sure you're not.' She waited a moment, her breath getting caught in her throat making me think that perhaps she wasn't sure whether she should say what she was going to next, but she found her confidence and before she went to the counter to pay for her chips she commented rather sharply, making my muscle tense. 'Well you're certainly not avoiding Kim.'

The comment caught me and I couldn't not respond, 'Brittany. I'm not into Kim. I'm not into anyone. Okay?' I had pretty much shouted it and the few other customers who were in the store stopped and there was a momentary pause before they carried on with their shopping as though nothing had happened. Brittany looked shocked, she wasn't used to my temper like Quinn was, and instead of paying for the chips she placed the bags on the nearest shelf and scurried from the shop.

To say I felt guilty was an understatement. I couldn't believe I had let my frustration get the better of me. I knew that I shouldn't have shouted at her, but she was pushing me and I couldn't handle the pressure. I knew she liked me but I wasn't ready to deal with the fact that I might have feelings for her and I certainly wasn't ready to be guilt-tripped for being touched up by an overzealous climbing instructor.

When I got back to camp, Blaine and Kurt were sat together on one of the benches by the campfire. They were looking out towards the trees; Kurt's head was nestled comfortably into Blaine's shoulder and Blaine's arm rested around Kurt, pulling him in close. I could tell that this was their default position, every couple has one; the position they casually fall into without even realising they were doing it. They saw me walk past and Kurt called out to me, beckoning me with his arm to come and join them. I was about to utter some kind of excuse, after the incident with Brittany in the shop I really wanted to hide away in my tent, possibly lie down and pretend I was napping to avoid the awkward conversations that were bound to follow between me and Brittany perhaps more awkwardly between me and Quinn when she found out that I had shouted at her friend.

'Santana. Blaine and I were just talking about you" Blaine nodded his head in agreement, allowing his counterpart to take lead on the conversation, 'we couldn't help but notice how gorgeous you are.' I felt instantly embarrassed, receiving compliments graciously was not one of my strong points, especially considering I was feeling so rotten and un-gorgeous having shouted at Brittany.

'It's okay Santana, I know you're not going to react well to compliments, I've met your type before, but still I want to know more about you, and, well, your love life.'

'Kurt!' Blaine sent Kurt daggers and took his arm away from his shoulder. 'You can't ask someone you barely know about their love life. Quinn would kill you if she were here. She specifically told us that discussing Santana's love life was out of bounds.'

My eyes were wide and I could feel a burning sensation rising up through my body. What else had Quinn told them? First asking Brittany to be around for support and now informing Kurt and Blaine what they can and can't talk to me about. Words were going to be had!

'It's fine.' Some how I managed to settle my anger, one outburst was quite enough for one day, realising it wasn't their fault that Quinn had decided to share that relationship talk was out of bounds. 'I don't talk about my love life because I don't have a love life.' I paused for a moment and then took the comment that stage further, 'nor do I want one anytime soon.'

Kurt looked sad for me and I could tell he wanted to give me a pity talk but Blaine cut in before she had the chance.

'That's a real shame Santana, because Kurt is right you are gorgeous and although I've only know you a short while, you seem like a really lovely person and it would be shame to deny yourself sharing that awesomeness with someone.'

I went to reply but a familiar voice piped in from behind me before I had the chance to defend myself.

'He's right, Santana.' I turned and locked eyes with Brittany who has crept up behind our conversation so quietly I had no idea she was listening. She looked deflated and had her arms wrapped tightly around her body defensively and I knew my actions from moments before, coupled with overhearing this conversation had seriously made her question whether I was worth chasing after all. 'I know you think you're not ready yet, but I think you are, you're just too scared to believe it and let yourself like somebody again'. Her words were weighted and I was pretty sure that it didn't go unnoticed by Kurt and Blaine.

I couldn't reply to her, I didn't know what to say so I opted to excuse myself from the conversation. I could feel the tears welling up and didn't want to process what she had said. She liked me, really liked me and I pushed her away, not only because she was a woman but, because I had convinced myself that I wasn't ready to let anybody in yet. I walked as quickly as I could to my tent and disappeared inside, hoping that Brittany wouldn't follow me this time.

I grabbled Zibby, who was stashed under my comforter and squeezed him so tightly that my already exhausted arms began to hurt. I pushed my eyes closed, desperate to keep the tears that were aching to shed from making it onto my cheeks. I was drawn to Brittany and she knew it. I couldn't run from her anymore, but there was no way I could let myself fall for someone again. Cody had hurt me so badly, I wasn't able to be that open, that exposed, that vulnerable to pain. I'm sure she was a lovely person, but even a fling with a woman at this point was too great a risk for my newly mended heart to make.

Instead of having a snooze, I decided to hit the bottle. It was going to be another heavy night anyway, so why not start a little early? I had stashed a bottle of Jack Daniels in my bag; just in case Quinn's friends had turned out to be morons and I needed something to get me through the week. I found my Ipod under my pillow, put on some Kings of Leon and started to swig the caramel coloured spirit straight from the bottle. The liquor burned by throat as it made it's way down my neck, and it hit my empty stomach like acid. By the time they called us for dinner, I was pretty drunk. At first I ignored the call until Quinn arrived at my tent, thinking she was going to have to wake me for the second time that day. However, instead she found me sitting in the middle of my tent, Ipod plugged in on full pelt, JD bottled in one hand, quietly muttering the words to _Use Somebody_. I didn't realise she was there until I felt the headphones get pulled from my head and then I opened my eyes to a bemused looking Quinn.

'Were you planning on inviting anyone else to the party?' She smiled, obviously she'd not spoken to Brittany yet and I was relived to have got away with it for now.

'You can join me anytime, Blondie.' I grabbled her and pulled her into a clumsy hug which made her laugh heartily and take the opportunity to grab my wrists and pull me from the tent.

'Okay, 'tana. I think it is time for you to get some fresh air and water. What do you say?' I was halfway out of the tent, when my legs gave way and we ended up in a giggling heap on the floor. Quinn attempted to regain her composure and I heard her call out Brittany's name to help us up, but a distant 'sorry, I've got to help Mike with the food' made my heart sink. Brittany was making excuses. She didn't want to help me. Who'd blame her? I was a moody and temperamental cow and she deserved so much better.

When Quinn and I finally made it off the ground, thanks to a helping hand from Tina and Mercedes, Quinn headed straight to Brittany, to see why she wasn't herself, asking if she was okay. I could see her throw a glance in my direction and then turn back to Quinn's searching eyes, I tried to read her lips and could gather that she was saying something about being tired and needing an early night.

I sat on a bench, with the help of Tina and Mercedes and was grateful when they brought me over some food and water to get me to sober up. The fresh air and Brittany's obvious change in character had already had a sobering effect, but I still felt pretty tipsy. Luckily for me, the others decided to catch up, and the beer started to flow once again, making me feel less self-conscious about my inebriated state.

It wasn't long before Finn had held up an empty bottle and declared it time for a game of 'Spin the Bottle'. The others moaned at him, telling him that it was pointless because they were all pretty much in couples, but the rest of the boys joined in and their childlike insistance prevailed.

I was sat in the circle opposite Brittany and could tell that she was doing everything within her power not to look at me. If she sat and looked ahead I was in her direct eye-line but she refused to make eye contact, even though I tried to on many occasions. After a few rounds of chaste kisses and pecks, finally the bottle pointed towards me. To my relief I saw that Quinn was the spinner, and considering we had kissed on numerous occasions to turn on boys, it was hardly a chore having to press my lips against her. But as I pulled away, I saw that Brittany was finally looking but as soon as she realised that I'd seen her she looked away, focussing her gaze just beyond my shoulder.

On my spin I got Artie. Apt considering he was the only other single guy. At least Quinn wouldn't have to worry about me kissing her friend's boyfriends and causing fights like I had in the past. I leant my hands on the arms of his wheelchair and pressed my lips perhaps a little too hard against his. He responded and when he tried to deepen the kiss, I let him. I don't now why, but it felt right. We were both single and wasn't this how it was suppose to happen? The kiss went on until the rest of the group started making childish whooping noises and whistles, which made me laugh and caused the kiss to finish prematurely. Afterwards I could feel Artie's gaze on my face. He wanted more and with the effect of the alcohol and my desire to stay away from Brittany and her sensational body and the intoxicating smell of her perfume, it seemed like the perfect solution. I knew that I didn't want anything serious; well I convinced myself that I didn't want that. But a few kisses, no strings attached, on a drunken night with a single guy, was totally permissible!

After the game, Puck and Lauren got onto the music and the nightly dancing ritual commenced. However, unlike the night before, Brittany didn't move from where she sat. She was a phenomenal dancer and the night before it was obvious that when she heard any music, she couldn't not let herself dance. But tonight she sat with her arms hugging her knees, watching everyone else enjoy themselves. Out the corner of my eye I could see several people throughout the night try and get her to dance but she didn't budge. I was determined to not dwell on it. I hardly knew Brittany and if she wasn't feeling good then it wasn't up to me to find out why. She had plenty of closer friends on this holiday whose job it was to help her out… even if their efforts weren't proving effective.

As a distraction I sort out Artie and finished what we had started. First off we were just dancing together, but then as the song got a little dirtier so did my tactics. I could see he wanted to kiss me again so after I had grinded myself up against him, I leaned over and began kissing his neck just as Brittany had done to me the night before. Then I was about to go in to kiss him when I felt someone brush heavily past my back, which set me off balance and stopped the kiss from happening.

It was Brittany.

She was making her way towards her tent, and from the way her shoulders stooped and her arms clung to her body, I knew that my actions had caused her sudden departure.

I could hear Artie's voice yelling to me above the music, but I couldn't pull my eyes away from Brittany until she had vanished into her tent and out of sight. Artie was looking up at me, confused and obviously wondering what had prevented me from kissing him again. I leaned down, kissed him on the cheek and apologised, telling him that I had to go.

He protested but I didn't stop on my mission. I needed to seek out Brittany. She was upset and deep down I knew that it was my fault. I hurt her and now I had to be the one to fix it.

I waited at the enclosed porch of the tent, where I had caught Brittany in her bikini only days before. I could see Brittany's shadow against the thin internal wall that divided the porch and the main area of the tent.

'Can I come in?'

I could hear her sniffing, and realised that my actions had really upset her, why did I insist on being such a bitch to nice people.

'Please Brittany. I want to talk to you.'

Finally she responded, but not quite in the way I was hoping. 'I can hear you from there. Say what you need to and then leave me alone.'

I didn't feel comfortable talking to a wall but I realised that I wasn't going to have much choice in the matter.

'Brittany, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm drunk and Artie, well Artie is the only single guy here, and considering that I do value my friendship with Quinn I decided that tonight probably wasn't the best time to go hitting on other women's boyfriends.'

Another sniff came from the other side of the material. 'Why do you need to hit on a boy at all?'

She had a point. Why did I feel the need to? I'd gone from telling myself, Brittany, Blaine and Kurt this afternoon that I didn't want to be with anyone, to suddenly grinding myself up against the only single guy in a mile radius.

'I don't know.'

There was an unsettled silence and then I heard movement from Brittany's side. She unzipped the tent but her face warned me that it wasn't an invitation to come any closer. We sat in the doorway, mirroring each other's positions, with our legs crossed and our hands falling naturally into our laps. Her face looked puffy from crying and I was about to move close, despite her defensiveness to brush the tears from her cheeks when she started up the conversation again.

'Do you think it might be because your proving to yourself and everyone here that you're so straight you can't keep your hands of any single man on your radar? That through you actions you wanted to suppress certain feelings you might have been having. Maybe feelings you have been suppressing for me since you first arrived?'

I was dumbstruck. Was I really that easy to read? I couldn't respond because I wasn't ready to admit those feelings to myself, let alone to the object of them. She saw my uncomfortable disposition and decided to spare me having to answer and continued with her monologue.

'Because I think that you like me, but it scares you. So instead of facing it up to it and talking to me about it, you've been avoiding me and now you're trying to chase me off and convince yourself that those tingles that I give you aren't real by throwing yourself at Artie.'

I looked down at my hands in shame. She was spot on and we both knew it.

'I like you Santana and I see all the good in you, but tonight, when you were leading Artie on I didn't like you one bit. Artie is my friend and I know that you're not interested in him. It is cruel to him and it also hurt me.'

Finally I found my voice and managed to attempt at an apology. My face was burning with the shame I felt, which was made worse when I finally looked up and I could see the wounded edge to Brittany's gaze. 'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you… I wasn't thinking properly.'

'I know that you weren't. Because the Santana I like to think that you are the Santana that Quinn described to me, who wouldn't do that unless she had good reason. Unless she was terrified of her own feelings and desires.'

I hid my head in my hands in attempt to stop the whirling sensation in my head that made me feel like I was about to faint. In response she lifted herself from where she was sitting and knelt in front of me. Placing her hands over my own and pulling them to the side my face so she could look me square in the eyes.

'I know you have feelings for me. Whether you choose and admit to them or not. But I won't be made a fool of Santana. I know that you weren't flirting with Kim but you must have realised she was totally in to you. And there I was stuck at the bottom of the climbing wall with no choice but to watch.'

She paused to catch her breath, which was becoming unpredictable as the passion in her tone began to grow.

'I feel sick just looking up at the climbing wall, let alone actually getting on one, and there you were having the time of your life. Joking around and letting her run her hands all over your body; and I can't even begin to compete with that because I'm scared of heights. It wouldn't have been so bad if you hadn't completely freaked on me this morning in the shower block and then ignored me in the store. Why is it that one woman can flirt with you and have her hands all over you with no repercussions and I cant? Then to make it worse you spend the whole of the evening flirting with Artie, who until this point you have barely said a word to. How do you think that makes me feel? I know you're struggling to come to terms with this, but I can't take much more. I'm trying but this is it. Make or break time.'

She waited to see how I would respond and my muted nod and exaggerated swallow caused by nerves granted her permission to continue.

'It's ultimatum time. I'm going to kiss you in about thirty seconds and it is up to you whether you stop me or not. But if you push me away I'm done. I'll leave you alone and you can go back to flirting with Kim and pressing yourself up against men and I won't say a word. But if you let me kiss you, then I expect you to respect me.'

Before I had time to decide what course of action I was going to take, she made the decision for me.

Her soft, full lips pressed against mine and I knew, instantly, that I couldn't push her away. It was impossibly sensational and my body responded to hers instinctively. I turned my head to the side and opened my lips wider to give her better access that enabled the kiss to deepen. I felt a pull of want in my lower stomach that I hadn't felt in such a long time. I wanted her more than I had wanted anyone from a brief kiss and just as I was about to let me hands roam onto her body and enter my tongue into her mouth, she gently broke away and rested her forehead against me.

'Okay.' She said, which caused my eyes to flutter open and look into hers, 'we have a deal.'


	4. Chapter 4

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

**Chapter Four**

After the kiss Brittany sat back, allowing me space and time to take in exactly what had happened. She had a grin plastered across her face, and although I was still in shock I couldn't help but mirror it. I bought my fingers up to touch my lips, making doubly sure that what I thought happened had happened and also to attempt to stop the tingling sensation that was dancing across my lips.

I was desperate to lean back in and kiss her again, but I was scared as to what that would mean. We had a 'deal'? What deal had I made exactly… was I really prepared to stop flirting with other people, other people I didn't really like because I was attracted to Brittany.

Attracted.

Right, I was attracted to her. I could admit that much to myself. She was super hot, despite being a woman, and it was just an attraction that would pass. It didn't mean I was delving into 'lesbian' territory. Everyone had a fling with a friend… so okay Brittany was not quite a 'friend', I had only just met her and this was starting to feel like a _holiday romance_ but, yes, this was just a quick drunken kiss, amazing drunk kiss none the less, but a drunken kiss that no one had to know about.

As you can probably tell, the kiss left my head racing at a million miles an hour and Brittany realised. She reached her hand over and folded it in her strong slender fingers.

'I'm not saying you have to commit to anything Santana. No wedding bells or turkey basters' the last comment when straight over my head and I realised it must have been a lesbian thing I'd need to google later on, she continued in a sincere and earnest manner, 'I'm just asking you to consider me. Yes I have boobs, but give me a chance to persuade you to act on your feelings for me.'

'Okay,' although I was nervous I was starting to feel a little more comfortable with her, so I retorted 'but it takes a lot to impress me Britt. I hope you've got the metal.'

Her grin transformed into the sexiest lopsided smirk I have ever seen, she shrugged her shoulders; 'I guess you'll just have to be brave enough to stick around and find that out for yourself Miss Lopez.'

She gave me a cheeky wink that made my cheeks burn. Then she moved towards me and my body tensed; she knew I was anticipating another kiss. However, instead of leaning in to kiss me, she crawled out of her tent and stopped to look back at me, 'Are you coming or not?'

I was embarrassed by my own expectation and fumbled over my words, attempting to express that I was coming but before I could get my legs to mobilise she had a hold of my hand and was dragging me from the tent with renewed energy.

'Let's dance.'

Quinn saw my approach, hand in hand with Brittany and gave me a quizzical look that followed my entire journey from tent to makeshift dance floor. Once with the others Brittany dropped my hand and headed over to the other side of the dancing circle that had formed and stood next to Tina. She didn't break eye contact with me, despite Tina shouting something into her ear and bumping their hips.

Whilst trapped in gazes, Quinn squeezed into the circle beside me and tweaked my side, making me jump and turn to face her with a guilty look on my face.

'Um, are you okay?'

My clipped 'yes' answer had Quinn instantly concerned. She grabbed me and pulled me out of the circle.

'What's going on?' She had hold of both my hands and was forcing me to look at her, trying to read my features for any clue she could find.

'Quinn, I'm fine. Just drunk is all.' I knew she was on to me, but I really hoped she could accept my silence and give me some breathing space before I had to explain to her what was going on.

'Were you just in a tent with Brittany?' Her features seemed overly curious and confused. She had obviously wracked her brain as to why Brittany and I would be hanging out in a tent alone together when everyone else was dancing and enjoying themselves.

'Oh you know…' I tried to leave the sentence open to interpretation but Quinn was shrewder than that.

'No San, I don't know… care to explain?'

I wasn't sure what she implying, whether she had an idea in her head as to what was going on, or whether she was trying to fish for information.

'We were chatting'

I knew another question was bound to follow but a mischievous Brittany, who had grabbed three beers out of the cooler for us, saved me. She approached, waving the bottles in the air, calling Quinn's name and luckily distracting her enough from her train of thought to give me an out.

I ran to Brittany's side, grabbing my one and drinking down a large gulp. Brittany started dancing up against Quinn and flashed me a quick smile… had she deliberately saved me from Quinn's interrogation or was it just coincidence that she appeared at the right time: I was inclined to go with the former. However, I wasn't out of the woods just yet, mid spin Quinn pointed her finger at me and asserted, 'don't go thinking this conversation is over, we'll carry this on tomorrow. Capiche?' Instead of replying I danced my way over to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. This only made her strengthen her resolve, 'we are going to talk about this Santana, I know you're hiding something and I'm going to find out what it is.'

Brittany could hear the whole conversation from where she was dancing and couldn't seem to wipe the grin off of her face. She enjoyed seeing my squirm. We carried on dancing for a long time after that, and every now and then I caught her looking at me and when our eyes met her intensity made me look away. If we had been alone I don't think I would have been able to stop myself from walking to her and placing my lips onto her again. But despite being drunk, my inhibitions hadn't lowered so much that I thought I could do it, however, they had lowered enough to let me think it. I was actually allowing myself to think about kissing Brittany without feeling guilty. It was weird but I couldn't stop myself. The kiss had felt so good, there was no way I could let myself forget a kiss like that, put it to the back of my mind like it hadn't happened.

Eventually, the group started to disperse as the couples drifted off to their tents and the music stopped. Quinn had already started walking back to her tent with Sam and was about five paces ahead when I felt an arm snake around my own.

'Can you walk you home?'

I chuckled and decided she was too cute not to play along with.

'Certainly. You don't know what kind of weirdoes are about at this time of night.'

She squeezed my arm tightly so that the sides of our bodied were pressed against one another and the contact made me feel dizzy and protected at the same time. We walked the last part in silence and I felt so comfortable, glad that Quinn had been too lazy to turn around to say goodnight, and had merely announced it to me over her shoulder instead. Failing to notice that I was so closely linked to Brittany.

'Well this is me' I said when we arrived at the zipper and she unhooked her arm from mine and stood opposite me. 'I would invite you in for coffee but I've not got a kettle.'

Okay, it was cheesy but Brittany seemed to take the joke well. She didn't respond to the offer, thank god, because if she had accepted the invite regardless of the lack of a kettle, I think I would have passed out with nerves. Instead she placed a chaste kiss on my cheek, which made my knees go weak, and before pulling away whispered into my ear, 'Goodnight Santana.'

She turned from me and walked back towards her tent, and despite knowing that I should stop staring I didn't. I watched her go and she made eye contact back before unzipping her tent and climbing inside.

Once she was out of sight I could finally snap out of my daydream. I got into my tent, stripped out of my clothes, not bothering to replace them with pyjamas; I was too drunk for that, and got under my comforter. I closed my eyes and attempted to sleep but my mind was racing, full of Brittany, and when I closed my eyes I kept replaying moments from the night. Starting with when she kissed my in the tent, right through until she had kissed me goodnight. I felt like I could still smell her perfume and feel her breath on my neck. Before I could stop myself, my hand had crept down my stomach and was playing coyly with the dark wiry hair scattered on pubic bone. I squeezed my eyes closed and couldn't resist it any longer. Brittany had got me worked up and I needed to relieve some of the sexual tension that had been building in my body for hours. I slipped my fingers between my folds and was surprised by how wet I was already. I didn't tease myself for too long, this wasn't about taking my time and exploring myself, I needed a release. I fingers soon found their regular routine, moving anti-clockwise around my hardened clit, at a steady pace. I could feel myself building up almost instantly, so much quicker than it usually took me. In my head all I could think about was Brittany's touches and kisses. I wouldn't allow myself to visualise anything more than that, I didn't need to in all honesty, the kisses were proving enough as it was. My breathing deepened and I could feel the muscles of my back start to tense and constrict, causing me to arch and dig my heels in for stability. I held my breath in an attempt to stop myself from moaning out-loud but as my fingers picked up momentum to keep up with my need I had no choice but to bite down on the corner of my comforter. I felt the orgasm rising up and I became heady.

And then the moment of release came and I couldn't help but murmur Brittany's name as the amazing feeling overtook my senses.

Afterwards my body was finally able to relax. I lay on my back, limp and breathing deeply. It was such a relief. I could feel my eyelids growing heavy as I drifted off to sleep.

The next morning I should have been hung-over, but I was still on cloud nine from the night before. However, with sobriety came nerves. I was desperate to talk to Brittany but the very thought made my feel slightly sick. Once back from my morning routine at the shower blocks, I joined the troop for breakfast for the first time. Tina was making pancakes and the smell made me salivate. I was halfway through my blueberry pancake when Brittany came into my line of sight. I would be lying if I said that I hadn't deliberately sat in a place where I could see her tent. She was dressed for running, and my heart sank when I realised that she wouldn't be joining us for breakfast. She sensed me looking at her almost instantly and gave me a small wave that made me blush. When I saw her all I could think about was how I had touched myself thinking about her the previous night. It made me feel excited and guilty at the same time. It made me wonder what she would think if she knew. Something gave me the distinct impression that Brittany wasn't one to blush and become embarrassed when it came to sexy talk.

She had on her running crop top and leggings as I'd seen her wear the other morning, once again showing off her slender frame and stunning abs. She tied her loose hair into a ponytail and although she wasn't looking at me I knew that she knew I was watching. My concentration was broken when, once again, Quinn snuck up on me and caught me interacting with Brittany in an unorthodox way.

Quinn bumped down, perhaps a little harder than necessary, on the bench next to me.

'What's got your attention…oh!' She stopped short because she had followed my line of sight to wear Brittany had now started to bend over to stretch out her leg muscles. I could tell Quinn was confused about what exactly was going on between me and Brittany but wasn't sure if she had the guts to call me out on it.

'You and Brittany are getting on well, huh?'

By this point I had started eating my neglected plate of pancakes and decided to play the innocent card.

'Yeh, she's great.' Keeping my sentences short was most likely the best plan of attack if I didn't want to engage too deeply with Quinn.

'Yes she is great. And…' she dragged out the word, making sure she had my complete attention, 'she's bisexual.'

I nearly choked on my mouthful, and Quinn had to slap me on the back to help me catch my breath.

'Really' I managed to squeeze out when I was back to breathing normally again, 'she didn't mention it.'

'Huh, I thought she might have told you in some way or another.' Another pause. 'So you had no idea she might be in to women at all?'

I shook my head, perhaps a little more fiercely that was required. Quinn was really more astute than I gave her credit for. She knew I was lying and I knew that she was on to me. I had known her long enough to know that that had been the whole point in the conversation. She would never have expected me to open up to her if there was something going on, so my closed and clipped answers gave her everything she needed to join the dots.

'Well she's a great girl, fantastic kisser - so I hear anyway, so if you were feeling _experimental_ no one would blame you Santana.'

The conversation ended there, Quinn knew that if she pushed me any further I would freak out and close up. She moved swiftly onto the day's activities, talking at me rather than to me, whilst in my head I ran over and over again everything she had said. I didn't like lying to her, but she knew well enough that in that situation I wasn't capable of anything different. When I was cornered I tended to lie as a method of self-preservation. Anyway, I had the distinct impression it wasn't going to be the last conversation I had about Brittany with Quinn.

Today's activities were somewhat more chilled than the raft building and the wall climbing. Rachel had decided that we needed a day of rest, so had booked us on a Yoga and Tai Chi day by the waterfront. It was definitely what I needed to clear my head, not just from the past few days but ever since Cody and I had broken up. Despite feeling better and less like a zombie than I had been straight afterwards, it still felt like there was a lot of emotions trapped up inside of me that were yet to come out. The morning's Tai Chi sessions had gone smoothly, I felt aware of my body and my breathing. Afterwards we all sat by the lake and enjoyed some food that Mike had prepared for us in the morning. I was sat on the grass, staring out at the water again when Brittany asked if she could sit beside me. We had hardly been able to talk all morning and I couldn't hide my joy at being reunited with her again.

'Sure' I moved up a little as gesture to show she could sit down, despite there being plenty of room without me needing to move. The rest of the group were close by, so I was still guarded about how I was around her. As she sat down, her shoulder brushed against mine, my guess was deliberately, and she settled her hands in an unnatural position next to her hips, flat on the ground. Without thinking really thinking, I did the same with my own. Knowing that because our bodies were close our hands were hidden to the rest of the group. I placed my hand centimetres from hers, close enough that I could sense her hand close by without looking at it. I felt a surge of emotion when she swiftly closed the gap by linking her pinkie finger my mine. We didn't speak or look at one another but out of the corner of my eye I could see the sides of her mouth creep upwards and I gently curled my finger round to get a better grip.

We sat like this, making light conversation, for the rest of the lunch break. My favourite moment was when I made a quip about Rachel's military style organisational skills, which made a laugh suddenly erupt from her body and made me beam with pride at my own abilities to make her laugh. She pushed me with her arm and I couldn't help but notice how incredibly beautiful she was. The sun reflected off of her golden hair and her smile lit up and animated her delicate face.

'RIGHT!' Rachel was back into her sergeant major role, standing in front of the chilled our group, 'ARE WE READY FOR SOME YOGA FUN!' There was a muffled agreement; the group were way too chilled out to respond to Rachel's boisterous enthusiasm. I'd never done yoga before, assuming that it was just for vegan munching hippies, but after the delightful experience of Tai Chi I was willing to give it a go. How hard could a few stretches be?

Apparently very hard. Kim, the lesbian climbing instructor, was to my surprise also a yoga teacher. She was stood at the front, this time in her yoga wear, which consisted of a lot of white flowing taffeta; talking about the importance of breathing and feeling your muscles lengthen. Brittany was stood next to me, and was apparently some kind of Yoga pro. Whilst I was struggling with even the simplest of yoga moves, trying to keep my balance in Downward Dog and hailing to the sun, or something of that ilk, she was gracefully doing the advanced moves that Kim was including for those who had _yoga'd_ (definitely not a real word) before. Where the Tai Chi had made me balanced and calm, I felt tenser during the yoga session than I had at the start. This was only made worse when Kim clocked me struggling and decided it was time to give me a hand. Her assistance happened on numerous occasions throughout the session, making the others mumble with recognition of her apparent obsession with using any excuse to touch me up. At one point we were working through some static stretches and when we sat on the floor with our feet pressed together and trying to push our chins towards the floor she made her move. She crept up behind me and proceeded to push the front of her body against my back to help me lower my torso to the ground. The pain was excruciating and was made worse by the fact that I couldn't not notice how were breasts were pushing firmly against me with her chin rested on my shoulder. After she bounced me in this position about five times, she released me, exhaling a breathy 'good' as she moved back to the front of the group. My face was bright red with embarrassment and pain, which was only enhanced when I turned and found that Brittany had caught the whole show. She merely raised her eyebrows at me before going back into the elegant stretch that I was making look like the most difficult move in the world.

It was such a relief when the class was over and I didn't have to attempt to make myself into a human pretzel anymore. I was relieved when I realised I wasn't the only one hobbling back to base camp, gripping various muscles with a strained look. Brittany, however, literally skipped back to camp as though she had had the most relaxing afternoon ever. I had pulled muscles I didn't even know I had and she looked like she'd been to a spa.

Back at base camp she caught me attempting to unzip my tent, rather unsuccessfully because my lower back was so sore. She bent down for me, and lifted the zip from the floor so I could at least get into my tent where I couldn't lie down and admit defeat.

'Not done yoga before I take it?'

'That obvious?' I knew I was being snippy but I was in pain. Kim had deliberately picked me, making sure that I did every stretch to the maximum. Flexibility had never really been my strong point… unlike Brittany apparently, who was more than supple.

'You get used to it. I find it a great way to relax and it really helps with my dancing.'

I knew she was only making conversation but I really needed to lie down, my lower back throbbed. My back was so tight, I felt like the muscles were about to snap. I put my hand to where the pain was emanating from and attempted to knead my fingers into the offending spasming muscle. Brittany saw what I was doing, and how little impact it was having and moved behind me to take over. Her fingers were so strong and instantly the pressure helped relive some of the tension.

'Oh my God, that's good.' She laughed and as she did her fingers stopped momentarily, 'no no, please don't stop.' Her giggles nearly overcame her, I knew it sounded dodgy but I couldn't help it.

'Why don't we go inside so you can lie down? This position isn't practical.'

I flushed and for a moment forgot about the pain. Brittany had her hands either side of my hips and was guiding me gently into the tent. She encouraged me to lie down on my stomach and as soon as I was settled her fingers got to work. The knots gave way to her fingers almost instantly and I felt a wave of relief as the throbbing began to calm.

'Do you mind if I lift your top slightly so I can get better access?'

'No' it was a quiet response and one that I was almost scared to make, this was all getting a bit intimate, even if it was for a legitimate reason, but I couldn't help but enjoy her fingers pressing against my skin. Although it was medicinal, I couldn't help but find it sexy. Brittany, hot blonde yoga goddess, was alone with me, in my tent, where I had touched myself thinking about her less than twenty-four hours before, kneading her fingers into my bare back.

'I think that should do it.' He fingers began to slow and instead of pushing into the muscle she placed her warm palms flat onto my skin and started to rub either side of the lower half of my back in even and symmetrical circles. The air in the tent grew hot with the weight of expectation and I didn't know what to do next. So far she had made all the first moves, was she expecting me to make one back? Because I didn't feel ready for it, but I also didn't want her to stop touching and kissing me.

'I need to get changed for tonight's fancy dress…'

'Okay', what I really wanted to say was screw the fancy dress and stay with me, but I didn't, that level of confidence hadn't graced me yet where Brittany was concerned. Also, the others might start to wonder where the hell we were and come looking for us, and even though it had been about twelve hours since my conversation with Quinn that morning, it was still a conversation that I wasn't ready for.

My thoughts were broken, when Brittany placed a kiss on my lower back before covering it back up with my shirt.

'I've kissed it better now, so no excuses about not coming tonight because your back is sore. Everyone out there knows that a Brittany kiss can cure almost all ailments, so if you don't come out I'd have to tell them you were faking because I'd kissed you better.'

She said it with an innocent charm that made me feel warm.

'I'll be there Britt. I wouldn't miss out on wearing my outfit for the world…' her playfulness gave me a wave of bravery, 'although one more kiss might make doubly sure that I am well enough.'

Without hesitation she lifted my shirt up, this time slightly higher than necessary and kissed the same spot as before. She then moved upwards, staying close to my back and hovered next to my ear, only millimetres between our bodies, 'if you want me to kiss you, you only have to ask.'

The hairs on my arms stood on end and I could feel that familiar tug in my lower stomach that I seemed to get whenever Brittany was this close to me. She pressed her lips against the skin of my neck, just below my earlobe and I was glad I was already lying down because I melted into the soft comforter below me.

'See you tonight, Santana.'

The evening's theme was _Western_ and I had found the sexiest cowgirl outfit I could find. I knew I looked hot in it and I couldn't wait to see Brittany's face when she saw me wearing it. Quinn had informed me at breakfast that morning, after the grilling about Brittany, that I needed to find a suitable 'Country' song from Rachel's karaoke selection. Now they knew that I could sing there was to be no excuses about not doing a solo. I had a good idea of what I wanted to do; I just hoped it would be in her collection.

By the time I was ready a few members of the group had already congregated by the newly lit fire. Finn, Puck and Artie were all wearing very similar outfits, deliberately gripping onto their belt buckles to give the desired effect. Brittany wasn't about, but I knew there would be plenty of time to spend with her this evening, so I made my way over to the guys. As soon as I reached them, Puck was holding out the karaoke folder, telling me I needed to choose a song before I was allowed a beer. It seemed like a fair trade so I scanned through the list, desperately trying to find the song that I already knew I could sing. Lucky for me it was there. I pointed the song out to him and he gave me an approving nod and handed me the beer that he had already opened.

Within the next fifteen minutes the rest of the group began to arrive, along with the pizzas that we had ordered. We settled in a circle and the songs began. Brittany still hadn't emerged from her tent and I was beginning to get worried, but Finn had already started singing _Oh What a Beautiful Morning_. As soon as he began Quinn leaned into me saying, 'how much to you want to bet Rachel forced him to sing this song?'

The night grew on and eventually I couldn't not ask Quinn where Brittany was, and she gave me a knowing look, before saying: 'How long have you been waiting to ask me that?' I kept my face deadpan, refusing to answer and eventually she backed down.

'She had a call from her sister, she's having a hard time with her boyfriend, so she'll be here when that's done. Don't worry yourself Santana, she wouldn't not come and see you dressed like that.' She looked down at the cleavage that I was hoping would catch Brittany attention and then back up at my face before turning back to watch Finn.

It took three songs for Brittany to finally appear from her tent and I felt a wave of relief when she finally arrived. She came and sat between Quinn and I, resting her knee casually against mine. I took an opportunity in a loud moment of Rachel's rendition of _Stand By Your Man_, to whisper to Brittany, 'Are you okay?'

She nodded, 'fine' and then leaned back into me to whisper 'you look stunning.'

I said a shy thank you and realised that in my panicked relief that she had arrived I hadn't noticed her outfit. She was in wearing sandy coloured pants and a white shirt with a black ribbon tie through the collar. Her hair was tied back in a classical looking style and although her outfit looked familiar I couldn't place where from.

Rachel's song came to an end and she nominated Brittany to go next by handing her the mic, exclaiming excitedly, 'Brittany! You look the spitting of Calamity Jane! Bravo!'

That's when it twigged; I had watched _Calamity Jane_ on television as a child so many times. I loved how fierce Calamity Jane was and my mum often had to tell me stop singing _The Windy City_ because it was driving her to distraction.

The backing track began and I got to hear Brittany sing for the first time. She chose a song that I hadn't appreciated when watching the film as a child but now resonated with me as an adult a little too personally. She sang _Secret Love_ beautifully and I felt so moved by her portrayal of what was obviously a deeply personal song for her. During the song, all the couples around the circle started drawing into one another and I selfishly wished it was someone else singing so I could hold onto Brittany. Once she finished the group broke out into a round of applause and without realising what I was doing, I had got to my feet, headed across the circle to where Brittany was standing and pulled her into a tight embrace. There was a sense of awkwardness from the rest of the group because of my action and I was pretty sure I could feel Quinn's eyes in particular boring into my back, but Brittany saved me from the humiliation of having to walk back to my seat by handing me the microphone and deciding it was my turn to sing.

I felt uncomfortable following Brittany's song, mine was far from heartfelt and I was worried I was going to lower the tone. However, as soon as the first bars of 'Man I Feel Like a Woman' blasted out of the speakers, most of the girls were already waving their arms about and tapping their toes on the ground. I found a new wave of self-esteem and went around to each of them, getting them to stand up and dance along whilst I sang. The whole dance turned into a bit of a performance for the guys, who were thoroughly enjoying watching their girlfriends, dressed up in sexy cowgirl outfits, grinding against each other. I made sure I was as close to Brittany as possible, so that when the chorus came around, it was me that she grabbed to dance with. Her body pressed against mine and I became so flustered when she ran her hands over my body and travelled up and down me, that I nearly fumbled over my words.

With the song finished, I felt Brittany's fingers interlace with my own and grip my hand tightly in hers. It was a contact that no one else would have seen and even if they did they wouldn't have thought much of it, as everyone in the group was touching someone else in some kind of affectionate way. However, when we headed back to our seats, Brittany didn't let go and, although everything in my head was screaming at me to unlace our fingers because I didn't want people to see, I couldn't do it. I wanted to hold her hand and no kind of external pressure, no matter how strongly I felt it, could stop me from doing so. I noticed that a few people saw, but no one stopped and stared; they took it as standard and carried on with their evening, as though it was completely normal.

After the last performance Brittany turned her body to face into me, and I prepared myself for the serious conversation that was bound to follow.

'Thank you for holding my hand. I know that it probably wasn't easy for you to do but I was upset after my conversation with my sister and I appreciate that you put your own insecurities aside to help me and give me what I needed. Not many people in your position would do that.'

I was overwhelmed by her sincerity and was so proud of myself for not pulling away. Not only because I had faced my fear of being affectionate with Brittany in front of the others but because I had also been the person that she had turned to for support.

'Anytime.' I took the opportunity to lean into her shoulder and she placed her arms around me, holding me tightly into her warm and welcoming body. She kissed my hair and rested her chin against my head.

'I've not got a kettle either, but you're welcome to stay at mine tonight… if you like.' I tensed, I wanted to stay with her, lie with her all night as we were now, but I wasn't ready for anything more. 'Don't panic, I can feel you panicking from here' her comment made me laugh and relax a little, 'I'm not expecting anything. I would really like the company. You know, some snuggles, maybe?'

My heart nearly beat out of my chest. I couldn't think of anything I wanted more tonight than to snuggle in Brittany's arms to fall asleep. I nodded into her and she took it as an invitation to help me from the bench. We walked towards our tents and embarked on our nightly routine together, catching each other's eyes in the restroom mirrors and rushing through as fast as we could, scared in case the other changed their mind about the arrangements. I was aware that some of the others in the group might realise that we were going to sleep in the same tent, but right now I didn't want to think about it, in case it stopped me from staying. I would deal with any issues about that in the morning.

Eventually, after what seemed like hours of getting ready, I followed her into the sleeping compartment of her tent. I was nervous, but resolute. She pulled back the covers and signalled for me to get in and I obliged without any questions.

She got in straight afterwards and lay on her back, tucking her arm under my neck and pulled me into her. I rested my arm on her stomach, daring to sneak to underneath her top very slightly to get to touch the abs that I had been admiring for afar, and rested my head on her shoulder. I could sense her looking down at me and couldn't fight the urge to return her gaze. When I did, my lips soon followed suit and as she leaned down, I craned up to catch her lips with mine. The kiss was soft and comforting. She was true to her word, not deepening it anymore than she had the night before. It lasted slightly longer and I had to fight the instinct to open my mouth and slip my tongue across her bottom lip. But I figured we still had plenty of time, it was only the middle of the week and I didn't want to do something that would make me freak out in the morning when I woke in her arms… I held onto that thought. Tomorrow I would wake up and still be encircled in Brittany's arms.

After the kiss broke off, I kept eye contact with her in the darkness, 'Night Britt.'

She brushed the hair that had fallen on to the side of my face, kissed my temple and said 'Sweet dreams.' And with that I settled my head back onto her shoulder and let sleep overcome me.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

**A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews and alerts, really appreciate them.**

**Chapter Five**

Sunlight had begun to light the tent, causing my eyes open involuntarily. Straight in front of my line of sight was Brittany, smiling when she saw that I was coming to.

"Morning sleepyhead' she said, apparently totally awake, brushing the tip of my nose with her forefinger. I mumbled in return, still fighting the urge to close my eyes and drift back into a morning slumber.

"You're not a morning person, are you?" Instead of replying to her I instinctively shuffled closer and rested my head under her chin. She responded immediately, wrapping her arms around my shoulder and pulling me as tightly towards her as she could. We stayed like this in silence until I felt guilty for not even speaking to her when I knew full well that she was wide awake.

"Did you not go for a run yet?" It was the only thing I could think of to say that didn't revolve around questions about us, about kissing her and sleeping in her tent. About the snuggles that were currently engaged in.

"Nah… I thought about it, but that would have meant leaving you and I didn't want to do that." She was incredibly honest with me, something I had still yet to learn with her, I tended to keep my feelings and what I wanted to say inside; hoping that she was getting them transmitted to her through my body language and facial expressions.

"Good" I replied… case in point really. I wanted to tell her that I was incredibly please she hadn't left because I found it overwhelming that she was still there in the morning and that these morning snuggles were the best I had ever had. Cody had never wanted to hold me in the morning. She readjusted her body so that she was lying more on her back, giving me the opportunity to lie a little more on top of her. I strategically placed my right leg over her right thigh and pressed my chest into her side. My hand rested on her side, above her thin shirt, unnaturally still, but I was nervous to stroke her stomach with my thumb now that I was feeling sober and it was light enough in the tent for her to see what I was doing. My fears were disbanded when she moved her legs apart, causing my right thigh to fall between her legs, resulting in our centres pressing into the other's thigh. As she did this I expelled all the air from my chest, which enticed her to become bolder. She slid her right hand beneath my shirt, working its way quickly up my side and stopping just short of my breast. Her thumb started to move back and forth, the tip very slightly grazing the point where the underside of my breast met my torso. I couldn't hack the teasing any longer and moved my body down so her thumb connected and at the same time ran my own right hand beneath her shirt and travelled quickly up her stomach and to the gap between her breasts. She noted my hesitation and realise that however she lead I would follow. If she wanted me to touch her, then she would first need to direct me how to do it. She firmly pushed into my breast, using the heal of her hand to mould into the underside, then placing her fingers across the top, catching my hardened and aroused nipple between her forefinger and middle finger. She pushed her fingers together as she massaged me, trapping my nipple between them and soliciting the first audible moan from my lips, which was luckily muffled as I pressed my lips into her neck. She continued this routine over and over again, causing my arousal to pool in my centre and I couldn't stop my hand from touching her back. As first, I knew I was being clumsy. Having not done it before I wasn't quite co-ordinated, but soon I got into my stride. Her breasts were perfect in my hands. I caught her tense pink nipple between my thumb and forefinger and rolled it gently. I knew Brittany was trying to hold in her moans, but it was obviously too much for her when a short 'Ah' escaped mid breath and resulted in her pulling me closer into her with her spare hand.

I had gotten so turned on that I needed to kiss her. All my previous worries about morning breath went out the window. I lifted myself off of her body to catch her lips in a surprise attack. This time I didn't hold back, within seconds I had my tongue running across her bottom lip and she immediately granted me entrance. Our kiss was heated and passionate, our tongues gliding against one another and I was so driven I grabbed the hand that she was touching my breast with and guided it lower towards the waistband on of pyjamas. I knew this was too rushed but once my sex drive was awakened and I was this turned on there was very little that could stop me and make me think logically.

"Santana" Brittany stopped her hand before I managed to push it beneath my pants.

She said my name mid kiss and I replied a breathy "yes" before going back in to attack her red and swollen lips.

"I'm not sure this is" another kiss, "I want to so badly". I cut her off again with another kiss.

"Please Brittany. I want you."

I could see in Brittany's face that she was doing everything in her power to stop herself from taking this too far. She was scared that I would regret it and that it would cause everything to stop, but I also knew that she was feeling as passionate as I was. We were drawn to each other and once it got to this point there was very little hope of coming back. She lifted her head from the pillow and caught my mouth in hers. I felt her hand slip under my pants and collide with my soft curls. I was so wet. All I wanted was to feel her strong fingers inside me. When…

"BRITTANY? YOU AWAKE?"

The worst possible thing I could have wanted to hear. Quinn was outside the tent.

Immediately I froze, terrified that Quinn was about to come charging into the tent. She had already started to guess too much, and this was not the ideal way for her to find out that I was being seduced, and was seducing in return, her college friend.

"I can't find Santana, she not in her tent." As she spoke I could hear the zip of the outer tent get unzipped and Brittany snapped me out of my inability to move by grabbing me by my upper arms and placing me beside her, facing the tent wall, calling back to Quinn as she did it.

"Morning Quinn." How the hell could she sound so calm in this situation? I pretended to be asleep. "Santana slept here last night. I think she must have gone to the restroom in the night and drunkenly got confused which tent was hers, because she just climbed on in here and then fell asleep and refused to move."

Quinn didn't say anything for a moment and then to my relief started laughing, "Seriously? That's hilarious. I hope she didn't keep you awake?" I didn't hear Brittany's response so I guessed that she must have shaken her head. "You look really flustered Britt, you feeling okay?" That made me smile, nice to know that she was as caught off guard by the sudden intrusion as I was.

"Just really hot in here. Two people sharing and all, think I better go take a shower." I could feel her moving beside me and knew that she was bringing our morning make-out session to an end, which made my heart sink a little. Damn Quinn for interrupting us!

And just when I thought that Brittany's little tale had convinced Quinn, I was reminded at how astute she could be, "You should probably make it a cold shower…" Brittany didn't respond but I couldn't almost feel her cheeks go red for her. Then Quinn patted me on the legs, "That goes for you too Santana."

They both left the tent and I heard the zip get closed behind them. A cold shower was definitely what I needed… well what I really needed was Brittany, but seeing as she had decided on the cold shower option, that choice had been removed.

I finally managed to drag myself from my bed and once I got outside everyone else was dressed and eating breakfast around the campfire. Quinn was there, sat on Sam's lap watching me. I gave her a slight wave and went back to my tent to grab my things.

"You better hurry Santana, we start orienteering in twenty-minutes and there is no way you're getting out of it!"

My head and my centre was throbbing, the last thing I wanted to be doing was trampling around in the woods with a compass, but when I was about to protest Quinn elaborated, completely changing my mind, "You're paired up with Brittany."

I got the distinct impression from Quinn's tone that it wasn't coincidence that I was going to be paired with the blonde and to be perfectly honest Quinn's tactic was right. I wanted nothing more than to go trampling around, alone, away from prying eyes with Brittany in the woods. I just hoped she wanted to as well. Her motive for running out of the tent this morning was still a little unclear, I just hoped she hadn't jumped on the chance to run away from me, I was being a little forward with her. Was it too forward? Oh God, had a blown it with her already and it had only been a matter of days! These questions and uncertainties were spinning in my head right up until I made it to the shower block. Once inside I couldn't hear any water running, so I guessed that Brittany was already done. There was only one door closed, locked this time and it made me uneasy. I wanted to call out to her and make some kind of conversation but I was too scared that she wouldn't reply or that if she did reply her voice would tell me that she was uncomfortable with how I had behaved. To be honest I couldn't believe myself how I'd let myself go like that. I'd spent the best part of two days trying to restrain myself from touching the blonde or even thinking about her in any kind of sexual way, and there I was practically forcing her to touch me.

Once in the shower I heard her door unlock and her flip-flops hit against her heal and the floor as she exited the block. They stopped momentarily outside my stall and I begged in my head for her to say something, anything, but she didn't. The tapping sound of her walk carried on until I couldn't make out the sound any longer.

Perhaps being paired with her wasn't going to be so great after all. It looked set to be impossibly awkward. I couldn't help but regret how open I was been with her earlier that morning and it made my body tense and I could feel my defences start to rise up again. I didn't want to be cold towards her but I knew it was my method of self-preservation and as much as I wanted to make myself vulnerable to Brittany, be honest with her about how I felt, I simply couldn't allow myself to make myself that exposed.

After my quick cold shower I headed back to the rest of the group who were waiting for me to arrive. Quinn gave a dramatic wave of her head, making it as clear as possibly that I was the last one to be ready. The congregated group were buzzing with excitement, all paired off and pre-studying their maps for the activity. I could see Brittany hovering at the other side of the group next to Mike and Tina, deliberately choosing not to make eye contact with me by playing nervously with the map in her hands.

"Listen Up!" Rachel was back in charge, explaining the rules in detail. I had to say I was impressed with her organisational skills. She had taken the preset activity that the campsite provided and really made it into an impressive challenge. Each group had their own route to take, which wasn't the same as the other groups so that you couldn't cheat. Once we arrived at the checkpoint we have to collect our envelope, get the password and then use the directions on our sheet to the next password. Rachel and Artie were going to wait at base camp for the first group back that had managed to collect all their passwords and worked out what the common theme of all the passwords together; I had a sneaking suspicion is was going to be musicals related.

Once she had finished speaking the groups almost immediately dispersed, holding their maps out and heading in multiple directions. Brittany finally plucked up the courage to approach me, looking increasingly apologetic with every step.

"Hey." I slid my hip to the side, placing my hand on it to give the illusion of attitude and strength.

"Guess we better get started on this stupid thing then." I knew I was being a bitch but I was angry, mostly at myself for being so forward, however, experience told me it was a lot easier to be angry at someone in these situations so you didn't have to deal with the real issue.

"Are you mad?" She looked hurt and I was caught off guard. Usually when I gave people attitude they either looked scared or angry at the way I speaking to them. Brittany did neither; she just cut to the chase.

"Do I have a reason to be mad?" It was rhetorical question and Brittany, perhaps realising, despite having just met me that it was better to let me cool down when I was acting like such a diva and didn't engage.

"You any good with maps?" she asked.

"I have a SatNav, why the hell would I learn how to read a map." I was being a bitch, as per, and I could tell it was hurting Brit more that she was letting on.

"I think it is this way" and with that she started walking towards the woods, she stopped and turned to me when she realised that I still hadn't moved. 'You're not coming? Fine I'll do it by myself."

I let her walk all the way to the edge of the woods until I gave in, shouting behind her to hold on and when she didn't I had no option but to chase her.

"Here" she didn't confront me about my tantrum, just merely passed me the compass and asked me to find the reading that she needed. It soon became clear to her that I really had no clue how to use it and so she halted, stood behind me and guided my hands, demonstrating how to get the right bearing for what we needed. Although I could feel her breath on my neck and her hands on mine, it didn't feel the same as earlier that morning, she was distant and obviously making an effort to not to flirt with me. Once she had showed me she broke the contact, but I couldn't let her leave so I took her wrist in mine and I noticed her eyes fall to the wooded floor below us, watching her foot nervously kick the leaves and twigs around under the sole of her shoe.

"Brit, about this morning…" she cut me off mid sentence, pre-empting what I was going to say.

"It's fine. I get it; you've changed your mind. Seriously it is no big deal, straight girls have done it to me before." My jaw went slack; apparently there had been a complete breakdown in communication. She thought I didn't want her… how could she have construed that I didn't want her anymore, that I had changed my mind? I practically begged her to touch me before Quinn interrupted.

"No, Brit, that's not it. I hadn't… I mean haven't changed my mind. You ran away and I thought that you had…" Her face took on a similar look of shock to my own, which was closely followed by a pink blush that covered her neck and cheeks. She briefly looked me in the eye and then pinned her gaze straight back down to the ground again.

"I didn't change my mind Santana… I had to go because" she didn't seem capable of finishing the sentence and when I moved towards her again she stepped back, making me so nervous that I almost shouted at her, asking her why she left. "I had to leave because, I was too, you know?" I was still not entirely sure what she was getting at, so I shrugged my shoulders to her, indicating that she would have to spell it our for me. Her voice slowed and I could tell she was preparing herself for a speech, 'Santana, you are stunning, the most stunning woman I have every met, and I thought you were straight. But I flirted with you anyway and it turns out that you might not be so straight. Then we kissed and you fell asleep in my arms. That doesn't happen to bi-sexuals and lesbians very often. Usually you fall for a gorgeous straight girl, they might dabble a bit but then they freak out and head back to boy-town, but you, you tried to seduce me and I wanted to touch you so badly but I was terrified it would scare you off. But then, just when I was about to let myself give me to all my feelings Quinn interrupted and reality came back to bite and I had to run away. If I'd stayed I wouldn't have been able to stop myself and I'm so scared that if I let myself go with you, if we do that then I might lose you. And right now, that is a risk that I can't let myself take."

Her words ran through me and I wanted to speak but I couldn't find the right words to say, but I couldn't leave her waiting for a response. So, instead of relying on my brain to find the right words I quickly closed the gap between us and pressed my lips firmly against hers. I felt her exhale a breath of sheer relief onto my lips once the kiss had ended and we stood with our foreheads pressed against one another. "I'm sorry, I called it wrong." She pulled me into a hug, placing a kiss on the side of my head and pressed her cheek firmly against my own.

"Sounds like we both did." She released the embrace and held me by my shoulders at arms length away. "Now come on Santana, we have a competition to win!" I felt my worry and frustration lift with one smile from her lips. It amazed me how someone I had only met a few days before could already read me better than most of my friends, and whose smile could lift my stubbornly defensive mood instantaneously.

Unfortunately, we didn't managed to win the competition, probably because we kept getting distracted by each other. Every time she asked me to check her map or she wanted to make sure I was on the right compass bearing, we would end up kissing. It was as though our lips were opposing magnets that were drawn together with very little chance of stopping them. After we had found the last password and only needed to find our way back to base camp, which was very nearby, she linked her fingers with mine and although at first I felt weird holding hands with a woman, the way her thumb brushed against my own, reminding me of how it was brushed against the underside of my breast merely hours before, made me relax.

"Are you going to the movie showing tonight?" She asked, sounding quite shy.

"I didn't know about it." Apparently Brittany had been paying attention to the itinerary that Rachel had provided us all with, whereas mine was still in the unopened envelop back at my tent.

"The campsite are doing a film night out in the field, they have this big screen and everyone goes out there with a blanket and some food to watch a movie. They're screening _Gremlins_ tonight."

"_Gremlins_? That movie is ancient." I seriously hadn't seen that movie since I was a child and my Mom had forced me to watch it. What I had failed to admit to Brittany was that it terrified me and ever since I'd not been able to watch it. Usually making some pathetic excuses about how lame and old it was rather than telling the truth.

"It's a classic Santana! Anyway, I was wondering if you would sit with me? I mean only if you wanted to, but I have some cosy blankets and we could share some wine and candy." I could tell she was trying to be brave and not make a big deal out of it, but her request made me beam.

"Britt… are you suggesting we go on a _date_?" I was aware that the question would make her embarrassed but I didn't care and when she started stumbling over her words and trying to back track, in case I didn't want to go, but simultaneously keep open the offer of it being a date in case I did want to go with her, the guilt started to kick in and I interrupted her mid babble.

"Because if it was a date, that would be okay. In fact, that would be perfect." I looked at the side of her face and could see that her smile matched my own. We were almost at camp so I decided to make the most of our alone time before we had to speak to the others and pretend that nothing was going on. I stopped walking and pulled her around to face me, taking her other hand into mine and lacing our fingers.

"I am really sorry about how I acted before." I looked her in the eye so she knew I meant what I said.

"I know you are." She looked so kind and understanding.

"This is all very new for me and I'm still not sure how to act or what to do so I will get scared and I will freak out from time to time. But, I'm not running away, so please be patient with me."

She squeezed my hands in response and moved towards me to place a chaste kiss on my lips.

"I know Santana. All I ask is that you talk to me about things before you assume you know what I'm thinking or feeling and I'll do the same for you." I nodded my agreement and then she continued, "and for the record, this morning was incredible. You are incredible and me physically running away was the only way I couldn't stop myself from seducing you. Please, don't think that I don't want you because you couldn't be further from the truth. I want you so much that I can't handle it."

The butterflies that had taken residence in the pit of my stomach in our make-out sessions that morning returned with a vengeance and I was about to reply, telling her how much I wanted her too when our intimate moment was interrupted. We heard footsteps behind us, and took it as our cue to drop our hands and start walking back to base camp independently. I knew that if I wanted to make the most of the few days left we had together I was going to have to become more public about what was going on, but I wanted to speak to Quinn about it privately first. If we were going to have the fantastic first date tonight I had my heart set on, that conversation with Quinn was going to have to happen sooner rather than later.

Back at base camp I decided to bite the bullet straight away, I went over to where Quinn was chatting to Finn and Rachel about dinner plans and took her gently by the elbow. "Can I talk to you for a second in private?"

She gave me a concerned look and automatically took me away from the group and to a bench that was situated behind our circle of tents.

"Santana you're scaring me a little… what's going on?" She turned her body so she could look at my face and I played with the skin around my fingers nervously. I'd never really given much thought to how hard it must be for people to come out as gay, and I wasn't even going as far as that by giving what Brittany and I had a label.

"I don't really know where to start." The pressure of Quinn's eyes on me made me break down a little and just as I was about to hide my head in my hands Quinn started for me.

"What's it about?" She knew that the best way to get me to talk was to ask questions. If I was left to my own devices I never would have got out what I needed to say, I found it too difficult. But with Quinn if she asked me a direct question I found it too difficult to lie to her.

"Brittany." As soon as I said her name I felt a rush of relief. Now it was out in the open I felt that a weight had been lifted and that there was no going back.

"Has she upset you?" I shook my head at her question and although Quinn had hinted at the fact she thought there might be something going on between us, she didn't assume it now.

"I like her." The air felt heavy and even though I knew it was an ambiguous statement I was certain Quinn would be able to decipher what it meant.

"Romantically?" It was an open question, asked without any kind of shocked or judgemental inflection because she already knew the answer. I think she said it more to help me admit it to myself.

"Yes, I think so." Quinn gathered that I was really struggling with verbalising what I needed her to know so she gave me some encouragement by placing her arm about my shoulder and pulling me towards her.

"Santana, as far as I am concerned you can like or love whoever you want, it will never affect our friendship. I just want to see you happy and if Brittany makes you happy then I'm happy. Okay?" The conversation was going much better than I could ever have anticipated. I had shared beds with Quinn, held her hand, kissed her to chat up guys; I was terrified that she would freak out and start analysing our friendship in light of my newfound desire for Brittany.

"I'm not sure what we are yet or what I want though. I just know that I like her and that she makes me feel good." I hated sounding so pathetic and I only really let myself become this emotional in front of a few people but I needed to talk it out.

"Go with it Santana. If this were a guy you'd fallen for you wouldn't even think twice about it. Treat Brittany as you would anyone else you were interested in. Enjoy her company and how it progresses for the next few days and we'll cope with all the other crap afterwards, okay? So long as you're with us and in this group of people, no one will bat an eyelid because you're holding hands or kissing a girl. That's not to say they won't get excited or gossip about it, because they love a bit of romance, but it won't be because you're both women."

"Thank you." I probably should have said more, but the tears were already starting to well up and I didn't want to cry. She had made me feel a thousand times better.

"Come on, let's get back and have some lunch, I'm starving." Quinn pulled me off of the bench and we walked back to camp.

As we approached I caught Brittany's gaze, it was full of concern, she'd obviously seen me pull Quinn to one side and had guessed what the conversation might have been about. I walked up to her, stood beside her and laced our fingers together. She snapped her head to look at me, going slightly pink in the face as the others in the group clocked our linked hands but when she looked over to Quinn who simply nodded her approval, I felt her grip on my hand tighten.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

**Chapter Six**

I was frantically trying to get ready for my first date night with Brittany. My adrenaline was racing and I couldn't focus properly. Since I'd told Quinn about us at lunchtime I couldn't help but feel that a weight had been lifted. After I had linked hands with Brittany we had pretty much stayed in contact with each over for the rest of the afternoon. After the initial shock from the others at our new public tactile behaviour, they had stopped noticing. They took it as given that Brittany and I were together, in what capacity that was I still wasn't sure, but they didn't ask questions and I was grateful for that. After an afternoon of relaxing and playing games by the water, I was now showered and desperately trying to decide what it is I should wear to the movie night. In the evening it got a little chilly, so I didn't want to go too underdressed, but at the same time I didn't want to cover up completely, I knew I was smokin' hot and I wanted to take advantage of that hotness as best that I could to woo Brittany. I'd managed to whittle it down to either skinny jeans, a red tight shirt and a white scarf that I could wrap around my shoulders later when I was cold, or a small tight black dress and little green jacket. I had them both out on the floor of my tent and was looking over them, switching from one to the other deciding what I should go for when I heard someone call my name from outside the tent.

"Santana… can I come in?" I granted them permission and in popped a head, followed by the body of Lauren. She nodded her head knowingly and said, "the great first date dress-code debate."

I nodded back; feeling slightly self-conscious that she had caught me in a moment of uncertainty, but decided it was the perfect opportunity to get a second opinion. "Which do you think I should wear?"

"Well, it is a tricky one. Usually I would say go for the black dress option, it is classic and always gets a guy's attention. However, judging by the handholding today and that fact that Brittany is basically announcing with her smile that it is your first date, alongside the fact that Quinn confirmed it for me; it is not such a simple choice. You could go for the dress, but remember you are going to be sitting on a blanket, in a field and it is going to get cold and dark. Personally, I'd say save the little black number for when you get back and you can take each other out on a proper fancy restaurant date. Tonight, you could wear your skinny jeans, wrap yourself up warm and snuggled into Brittany without having to worry about your unmentionables being on display. But that's just my humble opinion."

I picked up the jean option and rested the clothes over my arm, ready to take them into the private chamber of the tent to change.

"Thanks Lauren, that is sage advice." She looked pleased with herself and then I realised her coming into my tent probably wasn't just to help me choose an outfit. "What's up?"

"Well, I wanted to offer out my services." I looked at her in utter confusion, when I heard someone say something along those lines my mind automatically went into the gutter and my facial expression must have demonstrated it. "No no no, Santana, services, as in protection services. I know being part of _team gay_ or whatever team it is you play for, isn't always easy. And tonight it isn't going to be only us there; there will be outsiders. So, I just wanted you to know that we have your back. Any trouble and we won't stand for it. We all love Brittany, and she seems to have taken a real shine to you, so by default, by protecting her we will obviously protect you. I'm on the wrestling team, I'm hard, trust me. You have as many lady kisses, snuggles and whatever else it is you folk get up to, as you like and we'll make sure you can do it without any trouble… okay?"

Now I'm not a particularly huggy person, especially with people I'm not close with, but Lauren's words, along with Quinn's acceptance earlier in the day, had turned me into a bit of a happy emotional wreck. I grabbed hold of her shoulders, "Thank you" and pulled her towards me. It was brief but enough to make me feel like I was welling up again.

"Don't sweat it. Now get your skinny ass into those jeans and go get her." As I turned to head into the other part of the tent, Lauren smacked me jokingly on the behind. I turned to challenge her with a bemused look on my face. She simply stated, "Get going; don't make me wrestle you in there." I followed her instructions, slightly worried that she wasn't actually joking.

I officially loved Quinn's friends; they were incredible! She was so lucky to have found them.

Jeans and make-up applied, I still had five minutes before our group meet time. I knew it was way too keen to be early on a first date, so I sat on my makeshift bed and helped myself to a sneaky beer that I had stashed. It was the first time that I had stopped and allowed myself to think all day. I had been running on overdrive, trying to process everything that had happened and prepare myself for tonight sent me into a semi state of panic. I had experienced panic attacks before, when I had got myself so worked up about something, and now was no different. My heart raced, my palms got sweaty and then the self-doubt kicked in. _I'm seeing a woman… a woman that was super hot and I had no idea what I was suppose to do with her. _Ok, that was a slightly strange way of putting it, but it was the first time I'd actually thought about the practicalities of the whole thing_. _When I was with a new guy I knew what to expect, I knew the etiquette but I was at a loss when it came to dating a woman. What the hell came next! We had kissed, hugged, held hands, nearly felt each other up in a moment of complete raw desire, but tonight was to be more controlled, more formal. If I invited her back to my tent, or she invited me to hers, what was she expecting from me? What was the norm for women who dated other women? I was about to completely freak out when I realised that Quinn was standing at the entrance to the tent.

"Santana… I've been calling you for ages. What's up with you?"

I hadn't even heard her unzip the tent.

"You look like you're freaking out… I've seen you freaking out before…"

She started making a move into the tent and was about to grab my arm when another person appeared behind her.

"Are you coming?" Brittany's voice was laced with doubt and I instantly felt a pang of guilt. I couldn't let this woman down. Quinn backed up, and left Brittany and I alone. She knelt down beside me, playing nervously with her hands in her lap. "Are you having second thoughts, about me?"

She asked so innocently and I snapped out of my panicked state, realising now that I needed to face up to this. There was no point sacrificing what could happen because I was scared of the intricacies. I decided that it was best to be honest with her.

"No, not about you… I'm just" I took a deep breath, trying to figure out the best way to express my concerns. "This is all new to me, and I'm worried I'm going to do things wrong, you know, us things." I was turning pink, embarrassed by my own insecurities. However, she soon made me less self-conscious. She placed a hand on my cheek and brushed her thumb gentle over my cheekbone.

"I know this is new. But so far you have been a pro. I promise." She used her touch on my cheek to turn my head so that I had to look her in the eye. "The start of any relationship with another person is different from the one before. You have to scope out how you fit together and what makes the other tick. You definitely make me tick Santana. Your kisses, your touches make my body hum. We will figure it out as we go, together."

She placed a gently kiss on my lips and dropped her hand from my face to lace our fingers in the familiar way we had been all day.

She didn't wait for me to reply, not that I needed to say anything, she had covered all the concerns I had in one speech. I followed her, realising that all the others had already made their way to the movie. She picked up the large canvas bag that she had left outside my tent and we walked in comfortable silence to the field where they were screening _Gremlins_.

The field was full of people and I wondered where they had all been hiding on the campsite. We had barely seen anyone else around! We scanned the crowd for our friends and suddenly Britt's arm flew upwards, pointing to the congregation of recognisable backs of heads. The group were sitting mainly in groups of two, so I didn't feel bad when Brittany and I sat slightly apart from them, to the side of Quinn and Sam. I stood watching Brittany whilst she unpacked her bag, getting out two blankets.

"I thought we could sit on this one" she indicated to the blue plaid blanket that she was placing on the ground "and use this one to, um, keep us, warm?" She said the last part with a sneaky smile of her face I knew what she actually meant was to keep our wandering hands out of public view.

"That sounds perfect. Thanks for organising it, I would have been sat on the hard ground shivering otherwise." I was only kidding but Britt took it as a chance to reinforce her feelings for me.

"I'd never let you do that." There was intense pause, until both of us simultaneously sat on the blanket, scooting closer to one another so that our legs were touching and pulled the blanket over us in time for the movie to start.

At first we sat quite rigid next to each over, allowing our legs to touch, but within minutes Britt reached over and grabbed my hand and brought it over to hold hers in her lap. We didn't turn to look at each other, pretending to be engrossed in the movie, but out of the corner of my eye I could she her smile when I didn't pull my hand away. When Gismo appeared on screen for the first time she squeezed my hand in excitement as she drew her knees closer to her chest. Her reaction made me laugh and she took her opportunity to lean into me and whisper in my ear, "I love him, when I was younger I used to write to Santa every year asking for a Gismo of my own… never happened." After she had spoken, instead of going back into the position she had been before, she rested her head on my shoulder and leaned her raised knees sideways so they rested against my legs. He face was so close to mine that I could feel her breathing under my chin and it gave me goose pimples. Our hands, that had been resting on top her legs felt awkward with our new position, so she split her legs apart of squeezed our linked hands between her strong lean thighs. My breathing quickened noticeable at the sudden extra contact and Brittany noticed.

"Is this okay?" She whispered the words into my ear and although they weren't particularly sexual, I could feel myself beginning to get worked up about her close proximity.

"Fine" I turned to look at her and when our eyes connected I couldn't help myself, I had to close the gap and kiss her. Our lips pressed together and stayed together for a few seconds. I marvelled in the simple feel of soft flesh on soft flesh and when we pulled apart is was only a few centimetres until she leaned back in again, encouraging me place a succession of quick kisses on her lips. With our kiss needs fulfilled for now, we turned our heads back to watch the movie. Britt snuggled into me even closer, and I found that my head rested perfectly on top of hers. I loved this intimacy; she made me feel so warm and fuzzy. Also, having had the pep talk from Lauren earlier that day, I wasn't worried about being openly affectionate with Brittany, because I knew we had a group of people that would have our back.

As the film progressed I could feel the fear start to rise in me, I couldn't explain why I found this movie so scary, I could watch the Saw movies without flinching, but there something about little Gremlins and memories of being petrified as a child that I couldn't shake. I found myself tensing up and it caused Brittany to lean away from me so she could analyse my body language from a distance.

"San… are you, um, scared?" She looked puzzled.

I coughed self-consciously and looked at her, swallowing hard. "No". It wasn't a convincing answer but I couldn't bring myself to tell her that I was scared of a Gremlin.

"Are you sure? Because I'm pretty sure I just heard a whimper." I was about to protest when the _Gremlins_ kitchen sequence that I had been dreading the entire time started. I heard the glass smash against the wall, which caught my attention and Brittany, turned to see what was going on. The taunting music began as the actress on screen made her way to the kitchen with a knife in her hand at the ready. I knew what was coming, so I quickly whipped my hand out of Brittany's thighs and covered my face, leaving a small space between my fingers to peak through.

_Yum yum_

The evil Gremlin on screen twisted and turned and the familiar dread that I had felt when I first watched the film came back as though I was six years old all over again. Although I was scared I couldn't tear my eyes away.

"Yes!" I muttered under my breath when she got the Gremlin in the mixing bowl, but my relief was short lived when plates whizzed across the room and smashed, making me scream out loud. I saw a row of heads turn to look at me, mostly from our group. I knew Brittany was giggling at my reaction but she soon made up for finding my Gremlins fear amusing when she placed her arm around my shoulder and encouraged me to hide my face in her chest so that I didn't have to watch the rest of the scene. I could hear what was happening and every smashed plate and growl made me jump, which caused her to hold me even tighter. She rocked me back and forward to comfort me, kissing the top of my head, soothing my fried nerves.

"Do you want to go?" She sounded sincere and although every bone in my body told me to stick it out because I couldn't make her bale half way through the film on our first date, I was desperate to escape.

"No, I'm just being silly" I mumbled into her chest, too scared to raise my head in case I was met by another Gremlin. "I'll stay like this whilst you watch the film."

She leaned back slightly so she could see more of my face, and spoke again in her kind tone. "If we go now, we can be alone at camp together. I'd much prefer that… wouldn't you?"

I would definitely prefer it, and pretty much instantly got up to leave with her, but as soon as we were sneaking off I realised what _us_ alone time would mean and suddenly I wasn't sure what was more terrifying; the prospect of being subjected to Gremlins or being alone with Brittany scared to death that I wouldn't be able to give her what she needed. However, I didn't have much time to panic or protest my decision as Britt had grabbed my hand and was briskly walking back to base camp. However, she took me off course, leading me down towards my favourite spot by the water. She set the blankets as they had been at the movie, only this time we were looking out into the beautiful glistening water that reflected the bright moon in it's small waves.

"Now this, is much more romantic, don't you think?" She gave me the biggest cheesy grin, and sat down, patting the space beside her enthusiastically.

I hesitated very slightly, letting my nerves get the better on me again. I wanted this so badly, I wanted her so badly, but I was terrified I would mess up. She looked up at me expectantly and I knew that I really couldn't deny her anything, regardless of how scared I felt. I sat beside her and instead of taking my hand she placed her hand on the back of my neck under my hair and started to rub soothing circles. She did this until my body was visibly relaxed and I felt comfortable in my own skin again.

"We are going to take this as slow as you need it to be." She leaned over and kissed me on the lips. The culmination of her hand stroking my neck and her lips pressing on mine made me want to go anything but slow. When she wasn't touching me and I thought about being with her I panicked and everything seemed too foreign for me to grasp. However, as soon as we were kissing and touching and we were in the moment, that changed. All I knew then was her, the way she felt under my touch and the way her lips, hands and body felt against my own. All my previous fears quelled and I felt myself deepening the kiss. My arms rested on her side and I decided that sitting side by side just didn't give us the setup we needed to deepen things how I wanted them. I gripped her sides, so that as I lay down she had no choice but to follow me. Her body pressed against mine and she broke the kiss, obviously flustered and out of breath at the intensity.

"Santana, this isn't slow." She managed to say between pants.

"I know. But God, please don't stop now." I practically begged her to continue. Every nerve in my body was on edge and I couldn't restrain my want anymore. I had to have more of her.

She heeded me without argument, crashing our lips together again for a long sensuous kiss. He lips then travelled down to my neck, leaving hard kisses and nips, and I realised that the likelihood of me having a few hickies in the morning was very high. Her hand had already started to creep up my stomach under my top, resting suspiciously close to my breast. I knew she wanted me and although so far she was making all the moves, she needed my approval before she would engage in any next steps. So I gave her permission by grabbing the hem of my shirt and lifting it swiftly over my head. She paused for a moment, taking in the view of my bra-clad breasts and I felt more of a tug in my lower abdomen at the look of pure hunger in her eyes. She reached around behind my back and I arched my back off the floor to give her space, which caused my breasts to press into hers as she leaned over me. We both let out a moan at the contact and I realised that I needed to see her in the flesh as much as she wanted to see me. Whilst she smoothly unclipped my bra with one hand, I removed her shirt and started on the clasp of her bra with nervous and fumbling hands. I clasped and unclasped my own bra everyday, how could it be so difficult to do someone else's. Britt undid mine and pulled the straps down my shoulders and over my forearms and at the same time I finally had success with hers and because she was leaning over me the garment fell easily from her body and onto me.

The sight of her naked torso made me so turned on and before I knew it I had reached out my hand and started to tweak her already perky nipple between my thumb and finger. She moaned audibly and momentarily closed her eyes at the contact. The touch triggered another wave of lust in her and I was sure I could see her eyes darken as she focused down on my body and placed her mouth around my nipple. At first she swirled her tongue around it, covering it from every angle and I couldn't stop the soft moans that escaped. Then she softly drew her teeth either side of my tender nipple and grazed them along the edges, which made me shiver. She repeated this action on the other side as well, making my head spin and caused my hands to have to stop touching her because my brain couldn't concentrate on anything except the feel on her mouth on my skin.

Then she travelled kisses back up my chest and neck until she reached my earlobe. She pulled it into her mouth, biting down gently and letting it slip easily from her mouth.

"You are gorgeous, how did I get so lucky." Her words caught me off guard and I was in too much of a state to speak, so I let my actions do the talking for me. I pulled her into a passionate and messy kiss. Biting down on her bottom lip to mirror how she had used the grazing of her teeth to set me so much on edge during the recce of my body. Whilst we were kissing she strategically placed her thigh between my legs and my body instantly reacted. I curled my hips back and forth into her rigid thigh, enjoying the friction that the repetitive movement caused. It was satisfying just the tip of the need I had, and as if reading my mind Brittany's hand travelled back down my body and to my jean zip. She broke the kiss, looking at me for permission and I nodded without a second thought.

Her nimble fingers made light work of the button and zip. She reached down into my pants and I thought my chest was going to explode with excitement. At first she rested her hand between my pants and my underwear. Her fingers pressed down and I could tell that the wetness that had formed there was coming through the thin layer of cotton that separated her hand from where I was desperate for her to touch me. I bucked my hips into her hand and she got the message that I was ready. She removed her hand and initially I protested which caused her to lean back into my ear and say 'patience Santana.'

She travelled down my body, placing herself between my legs and hooked her fingers into the top of my pants. Suddenly I felt too exposed, when her body was pressing down onto me I felt safe. I tried to sit up to close the distance and get close to her again but she forced me to lie back down when she pulled my pants from where they rested snugly on my hips. My panic was again forgotten when my pants were discarded and she was pressed back down on me again.

"I've got you, don't worry." She kissed me sweetly and once again deepened that kiss adding her tongue to play against mine.

Her hand travelled down my body once again, but this time slipped under my panties. I think she realised from the way I was grabbing hold of her that I couldn't bear waiting any longer. Her fingers slipped easily between my folds because I was slick with wetness. At first she traced the length of me, running her middle finger slowly from one end to the other a few times to get me used to the idea of her touching me. Then she paused over my entrance and stopped kissing me long enough to ask, "can I?", I gave her a breathy _yes_ and she immediately pushed one fingers inside me. I gasped at the contact and automatically pushed my hips down into her. She started massaging the front wall of my pussy, pushing in deeply, making me moan into her kisses. It felt incredible but I needed more, and once again she read my mind, pulling out of me slightly so she could introduce a second finger. With her convinced that this was what I wanted her rhythm became more confident and I rocked along with her. We kept in this pattern, and I could see she was working so hard. Beads of sweat formed on both of our bodies, especially across her chest, which glimmered in the moonlight. She had got me so close to the edge as soon as I felt her fingers withdraw and make their way to my clit I knew I was going to cum in a matter of minutes.

She found my clit so easily and initially ghosted her fingers over the now rock hard nub. The circles her fingers made gradually became faster and harder, until I was gasping for air. I could hear moaning, but I was so out of it I couldn't tell if it was coming from me or not. I suspected that it might have been as I was on the precipice. I kept holding on to the amazing feeling, enjoying the buzz that rose from my centre all the way up my body. I was fighting the inevitable, not wanting the feeling to end and also having trouble letting myself go and giving myself over to Brittany. She could see all of this. I was starting to think that she had some kind of psychic ability.

"Santana: let go." She had to say it quite loudly in order for me to hear her over the white noise that was filling my head, "Let go for me."

On her second request I did what she asked. I allowed it all to overwhelm me. My body tensed and I dug my fingers desperately into her back, pulled her against me whilst I rode out the electricity that coursed through my body. Once my body had calmed, she rolled onto her back and pulled me into her body so I could snuggle into her. She managed to grab the corner of the blanket and pulled it back over us so that I could have some privacy. We lay like this for about thirty minutes, neither of us speaking, just gripping onto each other, gaining our normal breathing patterns. Finally, I managed to get my brain in gear and utter a sentence.

"Britt, thank you."

She kissed my temple and I was sure there was a hint of emotion in her voice, "Anytime."

Her arm started to stroke up and down my forearm in a soothing way and she used the other hand to place my hair behind my ear so that she could see the side of my face better from where she was viewing me.

"Maybe we should head back to base camp… will you stay with me tonight?"

It hadn't even crossed my mind that we wouldn't be spending the night together, I only wished that we didn't have to move from where we were now, my limbs were so heavy and I was worried that if we moved we'd have to put our clothes back on and then when we went to bed I wouldn't get to sleep next to her naked. I loved the skin on skin contact.

"On one condition." I was starting to regain myself again, getting over the waves of emotions that had overtaken my senses.

"Ok" She answered simple.

"Well, don't you want to know what it is?" I was intrigued and worried that my stating conditions had annoyed her.

"No, Santana, I don't care what the condition is. I will do anything so that I can sleep with you, just like we are now, tonight." I smirked; she was so cute.

"That was the condition." I felt her laugh beneath me. Next thing I knew she was sitting up and as a consequence forcing me up with her. I let out a protesting moan but she carried on reaching for her shirt and placing mine over my head.

"The longer we stay here the harder it is going to be to move. Come on. The others will be back soon and I want you tucked up in my arms before they have a chance to interrupt us."

She had a point. As much as I loved Quinn and had grown fond of the others, tonight I only wanted to spend time with Brittany.

"Let's go."

We scrabbled to collect all out items, stuffing them into Britt's canvas bag and haphazardly putting on any clothing items we came across. When I stood my legs practically buckled beneath me, but luckily Brittany was there to catch me. She could see I was embarrassed by the fact that her touch had affected me so much that I was struggling to stand, but instead of making an issue of it she simply took me around the waist and guided me with her back to her tent.

In the porch of her tent we dumped the stuff and Brittany lead the way by removing her top and bra and putting it onto a pre-existing pile of clothes. Seeing that I was reluctant she crossed the space between us and helped me out. As she started to undo my pants again I stopped her hand and she looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights, concerned she'd crossed a line.

"Only if you're doing that same Miss" She kissed me and continued her task, pulling my pants down over my legs and giving me her arms to lean on whilst I stepped out of them. She then held her hands in the air, giving me access to do the same to her. I complied, feeling brave and knowing that if we were both just in our underwear our snuggles would be so much better.

She got into the tent and I followed obediently, laying down with her and resuming the same position that we had been in by the lake. As soon as our heads hit the pillow we heard the others coming back.

"That was close." I muttered into her body. She stroked my hair and placed kisses sporadically on various part of my body that she could reach. I felt relaxed and safe with her. I couldn't have been more content.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! I really do appreciate them and they inspire me to try and update quicker (your emotional blackmail of wanting more updates works so keep it up). Enjoy!**

**Chapter Seven**

When I awoke the next morning Brittany had vanished. I felt sick with anxiety. At first I stayed as I was, watching the tent zipper and hoping that she had popped out for five minutes and she would reappear at any moment, but when she didn't I sat up, realising quite quickly that I was still naked and so scrambled around in the morning lit tent for the items of my clothing that had been strewn everywhere. I soon realised that the clothes that Brittany had been wearing the night before were still around too… she must have got changed or headed out naked. The visual that followed thinking about a naked Brittany wondering around the campsite was distracting and solicited a moan of frustration when I realised that just the mental image of her being naked turned me on. I had planned for us to have a cute, snuggle filled morning, with delicate head kisses and handholding.

Dammit, it had been about ten minutes and she still wasn't back!

I now started to put my clothes back on, awkwardly with the low ceiling and the fact that I was still half asleep. I'd just managed to apply my top, completing my outfit when, typical for my luck, Brittany, clad in jogging bottoms and a tank top, appeared in the tent, grinning at first and then seeing my clothed state, that grin turned to concern.

"Are you leaving? I got us some coffee from the shop. Thought we could have a lie-in with coffee and chats…" Her voice tapered off towards the end of the sentence, obviously upset that I had decided it was time to leave. I immediately felt guilty and tried to appease the situation.

"No, definitely not leaving. Just, um, well, I suppose I thought you had left, maybe, and so I thought you wanted me to leave too, so I put clothes on… but I can take them off" I grabbed the hem of my shirt and took it over my head, "see, totally don't need clothes."

This made her giggle and I felt like the tension had been lifted a little, but Brittany wasn't quite ready to let it go that easily. She handed me the take-out coffee she had got from the shop and sat down facing me, leaving far too much space in my humble opinion. I wanted her close.

"Did you really think I would leave you in my tent alone after the first night that we… you know? I didn't want to wake you up but I've been stroking your arm and watching you sleep for about an hour. Unfortunately I'm not great in the morning until I've had coffee. Sorry for going, I really didn't think you were going to wake up whilst I was away, you looked so peaceful. In fact, my plan was to bring back the coffee and then wake you up, but make you think you woke up of your own accord, probably by tickling your feet, and then offer you a coffee to make up for it." She took a sip of her coffee and looked at me from over the top of the cup as she tipped it towards her.

"I was being silly, I assumed and let my self-doubt get in the way. I mean, I loved last night, it was one of the best nights of my life, but I didn't know if it was the case for you too. You've done this before and I guess I'm still scared I'm doing things wrong." I mirrored her actions, using the drinking as a way of not having to maintain eye contact.

However, once I had finished my sip she took the cup from my hand and placed it outside of the compartment with her own. She zipped up the tent and leaned into me, kissed me gently at first and then deepened the kiss. As we kissed she laid me on my back and began to kiss and nip at my neck and collarbone, causing a moan to escape my lips despite my best efforts to contain it.

"You" she said between kisses, "are beautiful. And I don't want or need anything more. I am so excited about going on this journey with you." Another kiss. "You are doing perfectly." She began to undress herself in front of me until she was completely naked and then did the same to me. When she took control of me I couldn't help but feel trusting of her knowledge. I wanted her to show me how she wanted me to touch her and before I could stop myself I asked.

"Show me what you want me to do." It came out breathy and the need was evident from my tone. She paused thinking it over for a second before complying.

"Ok, sit up." I did as she asked without protest and allowed her to bring my knees up and split them. She placed herself between my legs with her back to me and pressed herself into my front. I had to place my left arm behind me on the floor to keep myself stable and used my over hand to curve around her flat toned stomach to keep her close.

She took my hand from her stomach and pulled it up to her breast, at first guiding it to massage her soft curves gently and then encouraging me to go harder and pinch her nipple firmly. Her breathing got heavier and she leaned her head back so that it was rested onto my left shoulder, exposing the full length of her neck. I didn't need any instruction for that, my lips pressed down onto her pulse point and sucked. I wanted to mark her, love bites were so sexy and now that everyone at camp knew we were together I didn't hold back. Whilst I was concentrating on her neck I almost hadn't noticed that she had started to pull my hand away from her breast until it was placed on the short blonde hair between her legs. She felt my hand falter and I stopped her letting me go any further.

"You've got to relax. If you're not ready it's okay." She was so kind and understanding.

"No, Britt, I want to touch you so much, please."

She laced her fingers between my own and guided me between her legs, using both of our hands to explore her soft wet pussy. I found that my fingers soon became confident, wanting to explore every part and feeling bold I slid my fingers away from hers and pushed two fingers inside of her. She let out a primal and guttural moan and suddenly all of my worries disappeared. Her hand that had been guiding me, was suddenly reaching behind her head to tangle in my hair.

I built up a fast rhythm, pounding inside her and Brit turned her head and nestled into my neck to try and contain the moans that were now flowing out of her. The wall of her pussy began to tense around my fingers and pulsed. I knew she was getting close and the feeling of knowing I was going to make her cum was overwhelming.

'San… Santana keep going, harder, that's it" she kept whispering encouragement to me between moans and then suddenly they stopped and she went silent for about thirty seconds, and then her back arched and she went momentarily rigid. This was followed by a loud 'Oh fuck' and I was sure everyone in the surrounding tents would have heard her.

I didn't take my fingers away straight away, but gently continued to massage inside her. I was about to stop when I heard her begin to start moaning again. Her hand had untangled itself from my hair and was now strategically placed between our bodies, seeking out my slick centre.

"My clit" she oozed.

I did as she asked, at first fumbling around to find the right spot. I knew when I had hit it because she moaned loudly again. Just after I had made contact, her fingers collided with my own enlarged clit, which was screaming out to be touched. I knew that I wouldn't last more than a few circles of her strong and well-practiced fingers but watching Brittany cum made me desperately turned on so I didn't care, I needed a release.

Despite the tight angle that her wrist needed to make to access me, she applied the right pressure and angle to my clit to make my orgasm begin to build instantly. I knew that once I'd cum I wouldn't be able to continue touching her and I was adamant that if I was able to I wanted to make her come first, so I increased my pressure and frantically circled her sensitive spot. Again she began to moan loudly and I figured if she was already being audible, and there was no way of me stopping her, I may as well join in. As I got faster she tried to keep up with the pace, until eventually we were both on the edge and about to crash over. I felt her body tense in the same way as it had before and her fingers stopped their actions on me. I was so close, but was glad that Brittany was about to cum again so I didn't care. However, my belief that I would have to wait for my own release was momentary, as whilst Brittany crashed into her second orgasm of the morning she pushed down on my clit with such a force that I came instantly. I was taken by surprise and had no time to restrict myself, crying out her name so loudly as I came. The intensity of it meant that I couldn't keep us upright anymore, so I fell backwards with Brittany crashing down on top of me.

She turned over and gripped at my body and I wrapped my arms around her too. We didn't speak, both concentrating on controlling our erratic and deep breathing. Since we'd met I'd never seen her this vulnerable, she had always been the confident one and now she was lying in my arms, unable to speak, and still tensing every now and again as the remnants of her orgasm's aftershocks coursed through her body.

Finally she found her voice, but it was quieter than usual. Not filled with uncertainty or embarrassment, more exhaustion.

"Santana, you are amazing. That, what you just did to me; was amazing. No more worrying. Promise me?"

Her voice lifted slightly at the end, expecting an answer and although I was inundated with emotion from her words I managed to reply, "I promise." She drew a deep breath in, held it for a second and then let it go so that the expelled air hit my shoulder and gave me goose pimples.

Although we had both slept pretty well that night, the enormity and intenseness of that morning's session sent us both back to sleep in recovery. When I woke a few hours later she was lying on her side, watching me. When she saw my eyes open she ran her finger down the ridge of my nose, over the tip and down to my lips. I kissed her finger and she smiled at me, apparently a little more recovered now.

"Morning" She said and leaned in to kiss me on the lips.

"You stayed this time." I was so relieved that I hadn't woken up alone again, this was how I had imagined we would have woken up the first time and I was gutted that the experience had been taken away from us. However, this more than made up for it.

"I did need coffee, ours are definitely cold now, but I thought you'd kill me if you woke up and I was gone again." She said it with a cheeky tone but she knew that it was true.

"Yes, I would have." I stretched out and moaned as my body tried to fight the lethargic feeling I had acquired from over sleeping. "Do we have to get up now? I want to stay like this, in bed, all day long." I pushed my bottom lip out sulkily and she kissed it.

"That does sound tempting and usually I would be all for it, but… we haven't got long left on camp and it is nearly 2pm, so maybe we should join the others for the afternoon?"

"2pm?" The shock showed on my face and I sat up. Had we really been lying in bed that long?

'I know" she laughed and sat up next to me. She stroked my messy hair and kissed me on the temple.

"I think we should get showered." I guessed that the tent probably smelt of sex and I was pretty sure I could still smell my own scent on Brittany's fingers as she played with my hair. Part of me wanted to freshen up but I also didn't want to remove Britt's scent from my fingers quite yet. I knew it sounded ridiculous, but I didn't want the moment to end. I knew that as soon as we stepped out of the tent our first time was over.

"Now? Are you sure we have to do that now?" I took my opportunity, and swung my leg over her lap so that I could straddle her. I rested my arms on her shoulders, linking my hands behind her head. I saw her eye line drop to my breasts and I knew she was definitely fighting the urge she had to touch me.

"Santana… are you still…" she gulped and finally managed to bring her eyes back up to make eye contact with me rather than my rack. "Horny?"

I nodded my head slowly, and I saw her visibly shudder with anticipation. I knew I had charm and to be honest I didn't think she would need too much convincing.

"One more time before we get showered… don't you want to touch me?" The morning's antics had given me a new lease of sexual confidence. Knowing I could make her cum… twice, made all the difference.

She didn't need any more encouragement, her fingers were inside me before I even realised that her hand had moved. She pushed in so deep that my mouth fell open with the force and I expelled the air that was in my lungs. She pushed upwards into me and I realised that in my current position, on my knees, positioned either side of her legs, I could move up and down onto her fingers. I pushed my hands down on her shoulders so that I could move more quickly and I could see a red flush appear on my chest. We kept this up for what seemed hours, I managed to control my need to cum; unlike the other times when I was so aroused I came almost instantly. On this occasion I was able to enjoy building up to that point slowly. I watched Brittany watching me, flicking her hungry gaze between where her fingers were inside me, up to my breasts that were moving up and down and then my face, which was contorted in arousal. Her mouth was in perfect alignment with my breasts and she couldn't fight her urge to take my nipple in her mouth any longer. She leaned forwards and on one of my downward thrusts caught my nipple between her lips and used her teeth to keep hold of it as I kept my vertical movements going. As I moved her teeth clamped down, causing a shooting pain to travel into my breast as the skin tightened, but to my surprise I found the pain arousing and the sharper my movements the better it felt.

Brittany could see that I was getting closer and intensified the position by placing her thumb over my clit. As I moved up and down on her fingers, I was also rubbing my clit against her rigid thumb. At first I felt my orgasm build from inside my pussy, the muscles clenching on her fingers but then the nerves of my clit began to buzz too and before I knew it an intense orgasm ripped through me, emanating from inside and outside my pussy. I pushed myself down on her hand and gripped her shoulders as I shuddered with the force that tore through me. Brittany pulled me into her with her left hand but kept her right hand in contact with my centre as I came down from the high.

Finally, the intensity of the last twelve hours caught up with me with this last orgasm and I began to sob. I wasn't aware that I was about to cry but tears started rolling down my cheeks and onto Brittany's shoulder and back. She rubbed my back, rocking me gently and telling me it was going to be okay. Once the tears had ceased I pulled back to look at her and she wiped the tears from my cheeks and kissed me gently.

"Okay?" She didn't ask why I was crying, I assumed that she already knew that it was related to finally releasing all the pent up stress and emotions, and once I was ready she helped me off her lap and we began assisting one another to get dressed.

I grabbed my towel from my own tent and then skipped over to join her where she was waiting for me. All the others weren't on base camp and I was so glad that I didn't have to face them yet. Chances were at least some of them had heard our moaning at some point. I laced my fingers with hers and we walked to the shower blocks. I felt giddy with excitement; my body still alight with the post sex feelings.

"Do we have to use separate shower cubicles?" I asked innocently, I didn't like the idea of naked Brittany being metres away and not being able to look at her.

"Santana, you can't still be horny?" I blushed, realising that I had been quite the sex pest.

"No, no sex right now. I mean, we can if you wanted, but…" Brittany stopped our walking and turned me to look at her.

"I was kidding. I like your sex drive; it matches mine. I was only joking." I let me head drop to the ground, realising that I was taking this all a little too seriously and that I needed to lighten up a little. Brittany placed her fingers under my chin and pulled my gaze upwards so I had to look her in the eye.

"Do you really think I would let you and your stunningly gorgeous body shower in the cubicle next to me and give up the chance to watch water fall over your perfect skin and wonderful curves?"

I knew I was blushing, I still found it difficult to accept compliments from her but it did help knowing exactly how much she admired my body. We made it to the shower cubicles and she ushered me inside, locking the door behind us.

We both began to get undressed, watching each other as we unveiled our bodies once more. She walked past me and turned the shower on, stood underneath the stream of water and coaxed me to join her with a beckoning finger. I followed her eagerly, placing my hands on her hips and allowing the water to cascade between us. She grabbed the liquid soap from where she had placed it on the bench and squeezed it out of the bottle and into her open palm. I was expecting her to lather herself up, but instead she began to massage it into my body. Using it as an excuse to touch and rub every part from my neck down to my feet. I felt like she was worshipping me and I allowed her to take her time to explore. When she was done, I once again copied her actions and did the same; it was so nice to touch her entire body, feeling every curve as I went. It wasn't sexual as it had been earlier, it was about getting to know each other and feeling comfortable enough to stand before each other and let the other gaze on and touch without feeling self-conscious. It usually took me months to get to that point of trust with a partner, but with Brittany it felt easy in a few days. I knew I was falling for her and thoughts of the future began to creep into my mind, what happened when the holiday ended? However, right now I pushed those feelings away, desperate not to taint this tender moment. We would deal with the future later in the week.

After being showered and getting dressed in our separate tents it was already 4pm and we decided that it was high time that we found the others. I was so impressed that they had left us to it and not decided to interrupt us at any point in the day. Having no idea where they had gotten to we walked about until we heard the family hum of activity and Rachel's piercing voice bossing the others around. We followed the sound and soon we were at the waterfront. Half the group were in the water playing a version of water polo, although no one seemed to have a clue what was going on, like how they were suppose to score and who was on their team… hence Rachel shouting at them.

Artie clocked our approach first, hitting Quinn on the arm; who was sat next to him on a camp chair.

"Well hello, you finally decided to join us then? Come, make yourself comfortable." She indicated to the chair next to her and it meant that Brittany and I had to let go of one another's hands as the only other spare chair was on the other side of Artie. She was apprehensive about letting go but I gripped her forearm reassuringly before I headed to sit next to Quinn.

"So, Santana, how has your day been?" Quinn asked nonchalantly.

I squirmed under her questioning, knowing that the rest of the group that were sat nearby were listening in to our conversation.

"Great, thank you Quinn. How was your day?" I shot her an angry look, which made her laugh and back down with her questioning.

"Fine, we all did some more team building exercises this morning, then went for lunch and have been attempting to play sports all afternoon. Turns out that Rachel doesn't know much about sport but she's trying her hardest to pretend that she does anyway. It's really much more fun to watch than to take part."

"THAT IS NOT A GOAL TINA! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU" Rachel screeched at Tina, but to her dismay the others on and not on her team congratulated her anyway. This show of disobedience tipped Rachel over the edge and she attempted to storm away from the game. However, being little her attempt to do a dramatic storming out when the water was up to her chest was more comical than dramatic. It took her ages to wade her way out of the water and when she did finally make it to shore, the rest of them playing the game had grown bored of her dramatics and carried on playing. Realising that she had lost her audience, Rachel soon sought out a new one, the shore dwellers. She stood in front of them, hands on hips, delivering a speech about how she was the games master and nobody was listening to her. At the end of her spiel, to her annoyance, nobody responded, in fact Mercedes insisted that she moved out of the way so that she could see the game.

"I don't know why I bother, nobody appreciates all the work I put in. I try and I try, to make things fun for everyone and they throw it back in my face." She was mumbling to herself and you could hear the tears in her voice as she headed back towards base camp.

I turned to Quinn, asking her, "shouldn't you see if she's alright, she seems pretty upset."

Quinn reluctantly pushed herself up from her chair and headed towards Rachel, calling out to her to wait up. Their voices faded as they headed back to camp and Brittany grabbed at the chance to come and sit next to me.

"Hey" She lifted her chair so that ours were right next to each other. "Is Quinn mad?"

I gave her a confused look, "Why would Quinn be mad?"

"Because we bailed on them all morning to have lots of hot, sweaty, super amazing sex?" By this point she had sneakily taken my hand in her own and nestled it in her lap.

"No she seems fine. Although I didn't mention to her about all the hot sex, did you want me to bring that up? I could tell her in detail?" We were whispering by this point but I could see Artie look over at us, probably being able to catch the odd word.

"NO! There will be no telling, if you don't mind." Brittany looked flustered and I realised that although she was really at ease talking dirty with me, she wasn't so open when it came to Quinn, or probably any of the others, knowing about her sex life.

"Oh, but I was going to tell her every little detail. Like that part this morning when you bit…" Brittany rapidly let go of my hand and used it to cover my mouth so that as I continued speaking the words came out muffled, much to everyone close bys intrigue.

Even though I had stopped talking Brittany kept her hand where it was, just to make sure I wasn't going to start again as soon as she took her hand away. Needing more air than I could get through my nose alone, I pulled her hand down and promised her I'd stop. After that she placed her arm around my shoulder and we watched the rest play their game, still without any idea what was going on, but without Rachel bossing them about, between them they had managed to sort out some kind of agreement of rules, teams and scoring.

After another hour of playing, they were getting noticeably tired and decided it was time to pack up and go back to camp. Brittany and I had gotten so settled that we told the other's we would meet them back at base camp in time for dinner. With them gone the water returned to its natural calm state and Brittany kissed me on the temple and asked if we could _talk_ about something that had been on her mind.

I immediately seized up, _talking_ about things, whatever those _things_ may have been, was not my strong point. It usually meant important stuff and I wanted to put that off for today. I wanted to enjoy the romance of it without it getting too heavy.

"We need to think about some things Santana" we both avoided looking at one another by looking out and directing our conversation to the water in front of us. "We need to talk about what this means, what we're going to do once the holiday is over."

I took a deep breath, hoping that she would continue talking and buy me some time, but she waited out the awkward silence, forcing me engage in the conversation earlier than I would have liked.

"To be totally honest with you Brittany, I'm not sure what to say. This whole situation is weird and although I like you, a lot, and this whole time has been amazing, I've only know you a few days and we live miles apart." I didn't want this time to end but realistically I also knew that it wasn't practical. How was I suppose to have a long distance and serious relationship with someone I barely knew.

"I know. I'm falling for you, hard. I've tried to stop myself but I can't. So I need to know, are you in this? Because what started off as harmless flirting, has turned into something more for me. I want more and if you're not prepared for that then we need to figure something out. I hate to say it Santana, and I'm not one for giving ultimatums, but after last night and this morning, I can't let myself get in too deep if you're going to hurt me." She looked sombre, preparing herself for the worse.

I let her words sink in. I really didn't think we would be having this conversation quite yet but she was right, we needed to establish some kind of plan beyond the holiday romance. The only problem being that I didn't have a clue what I wanted!

"Britt. I can't tell you that now." I needed time to think. "This is all so new and confusing for me to handle. I've been pushing the whole future thing into the back of my mind, thinking about the now and enjoying that as much as I can. I'm sorry but I don't know that I can promise you a future right at this moment without admitting that I have doubts. " I almost couldn't say the words. I knew that I was breaking Brittany and saw her visibly slump in her chair as I delivered the news.

"I know Santana. I am asking too much of you. You're fabulous and gorgeous and probably have men lining up for you back in New York. If this is a holiday fling and a bit of experimenting for you then you can tell me. I accept that and we can be friends and hang out until the end of the holiday. But I can't be with you, intimately, if that is the case." She moved to get up and I pushed down on her thigh, making her stay so that I could respond.

"It's not that I see this as experimenting or a holiday romance, it's that I didn't think at all. I've been going on my instinct hoping that the 'future' stuff will click into place some how. But I understand why you need a decision before we let things go any further. Can you give me time to think it through? Please Brittany. Don't let me not knowing make this end now. Give me some time and we'll talk."

She nodded, the emotion evident on her face, I hated that I had hurt her but I was trying to be as honest as I could. Right now I had a thousand thoughts running through my head and I had no idea what I wanted, well long term anyway. She walked away and left me sat alone by the water. I had a lot of figuring out to do.

I stayed where I was for a few hours, watching the water and going over all the different options in my head, but every now and then an image of her kissing me, or touching me popped into my head and all arguments pointed towards saying yes to her for the future just so I could feel her inside me again tonight. However, I knew that wasn't the right reason to base my decision on. I needed to think how Brittany was going to fit into my life when I moved back to New York and she was in Ohio. My brain was about to overheat when I heard Quinn calling me, telling me dinner was ready.

I pealed myself off the seat, dreading heading back to the group, knowing that not only were they going to joke about the sex noises they had heard from Brittany's tent earlier that day, they were soon also going to notice that Britt and I were no longer joined at the hip, or even sat together at all. I wanted more than anything to go back and lace my fingers with Brittany and tell her I wanted to try and think about something more, being something together after the holiday had ended, but I couldn't do it. Until I got my head sorted I was going to have to be strong and stay away from her. I knew I needed to talk to someone about it and promised myself that I would talk to Quinn as soon as I could. I really needed someone to talk through my feelings with before my head exploded.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

A/N:** Sorry for taking so long to update! I am working on the next update now to make up for it.**

**RIP Maurice Sendak**

**Chapter Eight**

At dinner I was so much quieter than usual. I kept my head down and applied all my concentration to the burger I had in front of me. Quinn was sat next to me, sensing my uneasiness she asked me small questions, trying to ignite some kind of conversation but my one word replies only caused her to get frustrated with me and so she gave up trying for the moment and started to talk to Tina who was sat on the other side of her. I could see Brittany sitting across the circle from me, and had to try as hard as I possibly could to stop myself from glancing up at her. I could tell she was doing the same, because every now and again we would forget ourselves and half look up at the same time, catch each other and then look away just as quickly. Catching a glimpse of her made me ache to sit next to her, to hear her voice and her laugh, but I knew that I needed to respect her ultimatum. For a person who considered herself to _not be one for ultimatums_ she seemed to be doing a good job of making them.

"Santana" Quinn broke me away from my thoughts, she was stood in front of me, I'm still not entirely how long she had been standing there and was offering to take my plate away. I had been eating the burger for about half an hour and still hadn't made much progress. I had nibbled the outer edges and that was about it. I wasn't great at eating big meals as it was, but all the drama with Brittany had left me without an appetite.

"Sorry" I mumbled back at her, looking her in the eye and seeing that her gaze was laced with concern.

"We can go somewhere and talk… would that help?" She placed our plates down where she had been sitting and when I didn't reply she realised that I was going to need to be told to go with her rather than be asked. "Let's go." She grabbed my hand and hauled me up from the chair. She led me down towards the field we had been sat in for the movie showing. Seeing the field reminded me of my first date with Brittany. I yearned for that moment again. I wanted to feel her close to me, to be able to lace our fingers together and to rest my head comfortingly on her shoulder. I wished I could turn back time and do that again before everything got too confusing and serious. We sat down and Quinn waited for me to strike up conversation, but when I remained silent for over five minutes, playing with the blades of grass by tying them into knots and flicking them across the field, she grew impatient and coaxed me into speaking.

"Is it Brittany?" She asked me gently, realising that right now I really needed the gentle touch.

"Yes." I took a deep breath, puffing the air out in a sharp and loud gush as I prepared to explain what was going on. I wasn't great for opening up and talking about my feelings at the best of times, let alone when it was about something as sensitive as this, but I knew that Quinn was not going to let this one slide until I explained myself to her.

"Brittany gave me an ultimatum." Quinn's eyebrows raised and she turned her head to the side, indicating that she needed more information, so I continued somewhat reluctantly.

"She's falling for me, she likes me more than just for a summer romance type-thing and unless I agree that I see us as being something more she wants us to go back to being friends." I hid my head in my hands, saying it out loud made it even more real. I was freaking out. Not only had I suddenly discovered my Sapphic tendencies in the past few days, falling for someone who was little more than a stranger and experienced my first dose of mind-blowing lesbian sex with them; now she needed to know if I wanted a relationship!

"And how do you feel about that?" Quinn had gone into full on _counselling Santana_ mode. She had used this exact tone when I had called her after my break up with Cody and the memory sent shivers down my spine.

"Confused would be a good place to start. I don't feel ready for commitment yet, if I'm totally honest." I could feel the hot sting of guilty tears in my eyes, knowing that I had lead Brittany on, feeling guilty because I wasn't sure I was over Cody and one other feeling that I couldn't quite grasp yet.

"That's understandable Santana. You had a bad break up and this whole dating girls thing is new for you. I am sure that Brittany would understand if you wanted to cool things off. In a few weeks you're heading back to New York. Maybe you could enjoy the summer fling you've had together, and keep it as that?" Quinn was searching me for a reaction, I wasn't sure if she genuinely thought that I should call things off with Brittany or if she was pushing me to see if I reacted by saying I wanted to see if we could be more.

"I don't know." I knew I sounded pathetic but I couldn't seem to get my thoughts straight. One second I was convinced I should make a go of it and the next I couldn't believe that I was even considering it.

"What did you tell her?" Quinn took my hand in hers and began to stroke the back of it comfortingly.

"That I needed time to think about it." I looked up to see if Quinn thought that was a good plan and her affirmative nod told me that it had been.

"I think you should sleep on it and see how you feel in the morning. Whatever choice you decide to make I will support you. Brittany it a fantastic person, she'll respect you whatever you decide to do." Quinn pulled my hand towards her and placed a reassuring kiss on my knuckles. "Do you want to stay here for a bit to gather your thoughts?"

I shook my head. I knew it was probably a good idea but I already felt guilty enough for pulling Quinn away from her friends because I was being a drama Queen. "No, let's go back. Aren't you singing tonight?"

A grin that she couldn't control crept onto her face. "We've got an awesome group song to perform. Guys versus girls… only thing is, we were kind of hoping you'd judge it as you weren't around for the rehearsals before we came here. But if you're not feeling up to it that is totally fine. It doesn't need to be a competition anyway."

"Like I would let you down Quinny!" I climbed to my feet and grabbed her hand to pull her up with me. I tried my best to convince myself, and Quinn, that I was fine by putting on a brave face, but she knew me too well to believe my sudden change in mood.

"Are you sure you're up to this?" She took both of my hands and forced me to look her in the eye.

"It will be a good distraction." I pulled her into a hug and knew that she would realise it was my way of saying thank you.

"We'll talk again in the morning, okay?" She asked and I nodded my agreement and we wondered back to base camp together.

When we got back no one was around but you could hear a hive of activity coming from the various tents around the circle. Then Rachel popped her head of out her bright pink tent, which was covered in gold stars. Apparently her dads' had it custom made for her.

"Quinn! You ready to get started? We're getting changed now; hurry up! Santana, your chair is over there, the one with the red blanket thrown over it for dramatic effect. I've created a score card for you, detailing the different criteria, so if you could mark each performance out of ten in each category and then average the points to get the winner that would be fabulous." Before I could ask any questions about her scoring system, I really didn't think they would be taking this so seriously, Rachel had disappeared back into her tent and I was left on my own.

I got myself comfortable in the chair and waited for the others to appear. True to form the boys were dressed first and were all bustled around the music station, getting their Ipod plugged in and set-up for their routine. They all looked like Michael Jackson from different music videos and performances throughout his career. Their costumes were fabulous! Mike was taking the extra time to warm up his MJ moves and I could tell that I was in for a dancing treat! Then, slowly the girls started to arrive on the scene. They were all dressed in black silk bathrobes, which covered up their costumes. However, as they walked I could see a flash of fishnets and they were all wearing quite high-healed shoes. I gulped as I saw Brittany appear. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, with elaborate make-up featuring thick black liquid eyeliner and bright red lips. I was gob smacked. All I wanted to do was pull her back into her tent and take advantage of her but firstly I knew that wasn't appropriate because everyone was around and I was suppose to be judging a competition, but secondly because I was suppose to be taking a Brittany time-out… how the hell was I going to manage it?

"Santana… Santana… Santana snap out of it!" I could hear Rachel's voice cutting through my train of thought but I really couldn't pull my eyes away from the stunning blonde in front of me. Finally Rachel had enough and stepped into my line of vision, waving her hands about annoyingly and pulling me back to the task at hand.

"Yes Rachel." I knew I sounded bitchy but I couldn't help it. I wanted to perv on Brittany and I was annoyed at myself for wanting to do so, therefore, the logical answer was to take it out on Rachel.

"Look Santana, this is a very important competition. So maybe if you could stop checking out Brittany for five seconds, we could get started." Obviously Rachel hadn't been given the memo regarding Britt's current situation and me. I felt myself begin to blush and luckily Quinn came to the rescue. She grabbed Rachel by the arm and dragged her over to where the other girls were standing.

"It's okay Rachel, I'm sure she'll manage" she announced whilst Rachel tried her best to protest, but was forced to sit down on one of the benches.

As they moved away from me, Brittany came back into my line of vision. She stood with her arms crossed around her chest, looking self-conscious and starring right at me. Once we made eye contact she kept my gaze for a moment and then looked away, walking off towards the other girls who had packed together off to the right of the allocated performance space.

"Guys… take it away!" Quinn took over from Rachel, who was now sat sulking with her arms folded.

I wanted to concentrate on their routine, but my mind couldn't stop wondering back to Brittany. I knew that I wanted her but this was all getting out of hand. It made me feel overwhelmed and panicky, I could feel my temperature begin to soar and all I wanted to do was run to the bathroom block and throw ice cold water over my face.

The music started up and a medley of Michael Jackson songs started and the boys began their rather stompy dance routine. They took full advantage of Mike's ability to dance and pretty much placed him centre stage whilst the others danced on the spot and sang around him. It wasn't particularly exciting and my distracted mind meant that I didn't even notice that the guys had finished their MJ routine until I heard the girls start whooping and cheering. Shit. I'd completely failed to fill out of sheet. To cover it up I looked down at the piece of paper, pretending that I was deliberating over the marks and guessed what to give them. I really couldn't care less who won and I was pretty sure most of the group didn't either. The competition was purely for Rachel's benefit, the rest of them wanted to perform and then get drunk!

Next the girls set up, they stood in front of me in a straight line, all straddling chairs and staring out towards me. When the first bar sounded I knew what was coming. Holy crap. They were going to do Cell Block Tango. The instant they began my heart began to race. Brittany was an incredible mover the majority of the time, let alone when she was dancing seductively! In the first few bars, each of them said their word, Brittany's being Lipschitz, and then I realised that I was going to have to wait until the very end of the song to see her dance her solo. Despite the others singing their parts, my eyes were drawn to her, she was placed on the end, rolling her hips and bending over to stroke her toned slender legs provocatively. I gripped my fingers around the seat of the chair, feeling the red material pucker beneath my tense and sweaty hands. I was trying to force myself to stay seated despite the desperate ache that was pulsing through me from my centre. As she moved I could picture her whilst we had been having sex, the way her breath felt on my neck, the sound of her moaning in my ear, the way she felt on my fingers. I was getting too turned on and I knew I had to suppress it, that I had to stop myself from having those kinds of thoughts about Brittany until I had figured out what I wanted.

And then her solo came. Like all the others, as she began to sing she removed her robe and revealed that she was just wearing black high-waist hot pants and a matching black bra. My breathing got deeper and I was practically undressing her with my eyes. To illustrate her part in the song she grabbed hold of Mike and began dancing with him. Rubbing herself against him, hooking her leg over his waist from behind and running her hands over his body. She lifted his shirt to show off his unexpectedly defined abs and couldn't prevent herself from running her fingers across them, causing the rest of the guys watching to turn pink. All of them had their eyes glued to her gorgeous body and most of them had their arms folded over their laps, hiding whatever affect Brittany and the other girls' appearance had on them. I felt a pang of jealousy. I knew that Mike was Tina's and that Britt probably didn't fancy him or any of the other guys there, but the thought of and seeing her touching anybody in that way made my blood boil. I was starring her out and as she pushed him to the ground to demonstrate his murder at the end of the verse she stared over to me and I saw a flash of panic cross her features as I obviously wasn't hiding my jealousy and craving to touch her very well. She faltered for a moment before regrouping and focussing back on the routine to dance the final chorus with the rest of the girls.

I had to admit that they're dance was phenomenal. They all looked, danced and sang like professionals and I was blown away. But I needed to get away; I needed to get away from Brittany and the jealousy and arousal she was making me feel. I was starting to have a panic attack, I'd had them quite a lot before, and I felt suffocated. I could now feel all of their eyes on me and I wanted to run away as far as I could. I placed Rachel's stupid scoring pad on the floor, stood up just in time for Rachel to dive in.

"So who won Santana, you haven't filled out the form. They took me ages to make. Do you realise what you're doing to me? Come on fill it out" Rachel walked over to me and grabbed the pad from the floor and shoved it into my hand and I could feel bitch-Santana, aka Snix, come creeping in. Whenever I felt cornered I reverted to the best from of self-defence I knew. An attack of cleverly constructed verbal abuse and slander.

"Rachel. Your score pad is dumb and childish, as was your attempt at being _sexy_. Now quit getting up in my grill about a stupid competition. The boys rocked it and looked super hot, so they're my winners. I can tell you that without a stupid score sheet." I knew that I had gone too far, but once I started I couldn't stop. Finn stepped in to defend his girlfriend's honour, who was now crying her eyes out and clinging onto Tina in the most dramatic way she could muster.

"You can't talk about my girlfriend like that, who the hell do you think you are?" Finn had squared up to me and although I felt intimidated there was no way I was backing down to anyone.

"Chill it _Man Boobs_, I was only saying what everyone else was thinking." I placed my hands on my hips and held my ground even though I was scared that I was going to be attacked at any moment by the next group member who was going to stick up for their friend.

However, true to form Quinn stepped in, "Okay, that is enough excitement for one evening." She stood in front of me to act as a buffer until the others stepped back, "get the music back on and start having some drinks." I was amazed when they all started to drift away, except for Finn who was still standing in front her, attempting to stare me down over her head. "Finn, that includes you. Go. Rachel needs you." He hesitated for a second but then began to walk backwards and eventually turned and went to find his girlfriend.

Quinn turned to face me. And I felt my resolve drop and my defences weaken. Once the anger had subsided I always regretted how I had flown off the handle in situations like this, but the knowledge that I would feel this way afterwards, never crossed my mind when I was in the moment. Quinn didn't say anything, she shock her head and began to walk off, and when I pleaded with her, calling her name softly to try and get her to stay she merely lifted her hand at me, signalling me to stop speaking and went over to join her friends.

I felt like such an idiot. I'd insulted two of Quinn's closest friends, who had been nothing but nice to me and probably turned the entire friendship group against me. Why the hell did I let me emotions and fiery temperament get the better of me so often! I had managed to survive this whole trip without once flying off into one of my insult-driven rages and now I had ruined it. The group carried on dancing and drinking as though I wasn't there and for a few minutes a stayed in situ, wondering if Quinn would have second thoughts and come back over to speak me. However, that was going to happen. She stayed as she was and didn't so much as look back. I knew I was going to need to do some serious apologising if I was going to make this better, but I made it a rule that I didn't apologise to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. Instead, I decided that all I wanted to do was creep off into a hole and hide.

At least I had made the Britt decision easier for myself. There was no way the blonde was going to want anything to do with me now. Plus, I was beginning to realise that I didn't deserve someone as kind and caring as she was, I was only going to hurt her. Maybe Cody had a reason for cheating on me after all. I was probably a horrible girlfriend, who could blame him. I took one last look over to the group and saw that Brittany was dancing with Mike again. This time I didn't feel jealous or upset, I just felt that perhaps it was best that she found someone else, obviously not Mike because he was with Tina, but she should be with someone who is so much better than I could ever be for her. I mean she was so beautiful; she could have anybody she wanted.

I was beginning to realise that I couldn't stay at camp with things as they were, this wasn't the sort of thing that blew over after a nights sleep. I had made my mind up. First thing in the morning I was going to leave camp, there was no point in staying. I'd upset everyone. I went back to my tent, began to pack up my belongings, so that in the morning I would just need to shower, change and leave in a taxicab. Quinn would be able to dismantle my tent to take back with her and I could get away without anyone realising I was gone. I got into my bed and closed my eyes, trying to sleep, but all I could hear was the sound of the other's having fun. They were getting drunker and drunker by the hour, and although I was tired and desperate to be put out of my misery and hearing everyone else having fun whilst I was banished to spend the night alone, I couldn't sleep. Then I heard Brittany's voice over the hubbub, she was obviously close to my tent because everyone else was still as loud as they had been.

"Do you think she's asleep?" I could hear the concern in her voice and it made me feel so guilty.

"Probably" Quinn replied.

"Do you think we should check if she is okay… she's been in there all night." I heard Brittany go for the zipper of my tent but Quinn stopped her.

"There's no point. When she's like this you have to leave her to get it out of her system. If you go in there now, she'll give you a load of shit like she did Finn and Rachel earlier." Quinn's words hurt, mostly because they were true. I was on the edge and as soon as I felt as though I was being attacked I would have lashed out first. She was right and I was grateful that she spared Brittany that sort of confrontation.

"I don't get it. She seemed fine and then, bam, suddenly she's firing off insults like she's a different person! I think it is my fault, I think I made her upset." Brittany was getting teary, I could hear her voice catch in her throat as she said it and I wanted to call out and tell her that it wasn't her fault but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Brittany, this is not your fault. Santana is complicated. Give her time space and time and she'll come around. I promise." Then the conversation ended and I heard two sets of zips on either side of my tent as the girls went to bed. The conversation only convinced me even more that I had to leave early the next day. Quinn was right, this wasn't Brittany's fault, I was like poison and the longer I stayed around the gorgeous blonde the more I was going to hurt her and make her feel like everything was her fault when it was quite obviously my own. Finally, all the thoughts shooting around in my head settled and I began to feel tired. I gave into it because if I was going to manage to leave before Brittany got up in the morning for her run, I was going to have to sleep now.

The next morning everything was going to plan, I'd got up super early, had a shower, got dressed and packed the last few bits into my bag. I got out of my tent and was faced with an angry looking tall blonde figure, whose face I couldn't quite make out, because the low morning sun was blinding my vision.

"Running away?" she said it with an air of distaste and I knew that she wasn't going to let me disappear without a fight.

"Brittany, don't." I tried to push past her but she grabbed my arm and removed my bag from my shoulder so I had no choice but to stay.

"Don't what? State the obvious?" She was angry, her voice was on edge and I knew that if I didn't keep my cool this could end in a similar way to the confrontation from the night before that had got me into this mess.

"Look, it's best for everyone that I leave right now." I tried to pick up my bag but she refused to let go of the strap.

"You mean best for you." We were now staring each other out and I could feel my breath begin to quicken as I fought the urge to let me defences fall, but I didn't, I managed to keep myself together.

"No for everyone else. Ever since I've been here I've just messed things up." It was true. I'd led Brittany on and now I had started a fight with the entire group by insulting Finn and Rachel.

"Well, I definitely saw a different side to you last night." She near enough spat the words at me and I felt instantly like shit.

"Well, that's the real me Brittany. Feel free to revoke your ultimatum at any point. I don't think anybody would blame you for it." I felt sick and hot tears were starting to make an appearance. I needed to get out of this situation as soon as I could.

"Oh for god's sake Santana. Can you hear yourself? Get a grip and stop moping around in that pool of self-pity. So you said some stupid and insulting things to people you barely know and upset your best friend. Here's an idea, deal with it. Make it right."

"How can I make it right?" I said, half pleading half sarcastic.

"Apologise."

"What!" I near enough laughed the word out.

"Tell them that you're sorry." Her voice softened. She removed her grip on my bag and placed in on top of my hand that was gripping the strap.

"Tell them that you had a lot of stuff on your mind and you took it out on them, which was wrong and you hope that they can see how sorry you are for the mean things that you said." She made it all sound so simple. Perhaps it was in her mind, but for me that meant admitting weakness, backing down, and worse of all, admitting that I did have a lot on my mind and that all of this was caused by my utter confusion over my feelings for Brittany and the fact that I didn't feel as though I was good enough for her.

"I am not saying that." I moved my hand so that her touch fell from mine.

"Fine. Maybe you should go Santana. I don't know what I was thinking falling for you." She folded her arms and I could see that her previous show of being aggressive towards me was starting to crack and she looked hurt.

"Brittany, I… I… can't. I'm sorry. I know you thought you knew me, but this is the real me, so get out now while you still can."

"I think you're wrong." She replied quietly, "I think the Santana that I spent that lazy morning with in my tent was the real Santana. And this… this act that you're putting on now. This is you when you're scared and defensive. But if that's how you want to play it then go. I'm not going to stop you." She shrugged her shoulders, signalling that she didn't have it in her to do anymore to keep me there. She was right, the decision fell with me and I had made up my mind. If I was hurting her like this now, imagine how much I would hurt her if I actually told her we could develop things further.

She unzipped her tent and went back inside. I stalled and took in the silence once more before heaving my heavy bag onto my shoulder and walking towards the campsite shop to call a taxicab. I knew that Brittany was right, but I wasn't brave enough to do as she asked. I wanted to so badly, but something was holding me back. There was that little voice in my head telling me that I couldn't change, that they wouldn't forgive me and that if I did stay and it worked then Brittany would take it as a sign that I wanted to be with her and I knew that I didn't deserve her attention.

I told the shop assistant where I needed a taxicab to and she told me it would be another thirty minutes until one arrived. I sat down on the bench outside by the road and waited. Filled with regret and guilt, but I knew that I was making the right decision for the rest of the group, particularly Brittany, so they could enjoy the remainder of their holiday Santana-free.

**A/N: Okay, don't kill me. Remember Brittana endgame.**


	9. Chapter 9

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

A/N:** Sorry for taking so long to update! I am working on the next update now to make up for it.**

**RIP Maurice Sendak**

**Chapter Nine**

The ride home was not exactly pleasant, I was tired and kept replaying the conversation Brittany and I'd had before I left, over and over again. Trying to make some kind of sense of it. However, the further I got from the campsite the calmer I felt. It is amazing how being away from a problem geographically can make it seem so much more insignificant. All of this mess would become even smaller once I was back in New York. The taxicab pulled up outside my house and the driver announced some ridiculously expensive fare, certainly nothing I had on me at the time, so I ran inside the house, leaving my bag behind so that he knew I was coming back, and grabbed some cash from the draw in the kitchen where my parents hid emergency money for these kinds of situations. I paid the fare and grabbed my bag from the trunk. When I turned I was faced with my Mom, standing directly behind me with her arms folded and obviously wanting an explanation for my early arrival. I hadn't seen any sign of her when I had gone into the house, she had this uncanny way of appearing out of nowhere. I suppose it was her way of keeping me on my toes, so that if I was doing something I shouldn't I would never quite know if she was about to catch me doing it or not.

"Mom, please can we do the whole explanation thing later. I'm tired and hungry." I whined at her, hoping that the pathetic tone of my voice would get her off of my case at least for a little while and give me chance to work out exactly what I was going to tell her was my reason for coming back early.

"Okay Mija. Let's go inside and I'll make you some breakfast. Then we talk." She took the bag from me and I followed her inside, feeling like a naughty school child that had been caught skipping school.

I slumped down on the sofa and hugged a pillow to my chest in attempt to feel comforted.

"Pancakes with maple syrup, right?" Although she asked me, we both knew that it was a formality as it was the only breakfast food I was ever interested in having when I was feeling down.

"Yes, thanks." I felt my body relax for the first time in days. I was sleepier than I realised and was about to fall asleep when my Mom woke me up with the smell of pancakes and coffee. It was exactly what I needed. I sat up and tucked right in, loving how her pancakes tasted so unique to any others and provided a sense of comfort that I really wasn't able to acquire from anywhere else.

'So, Mija, you going to tell me what happened and why you're home a day early or am I going to have to wring it out of you like usual?" She knew that I wasn't great at opening up to her, but at this point I wasn't quite ready to tell her the truth, so I lied, which never made me feel very comfortable when it came to my Mom.

"Nothing happened. I got fed up of all-that supposedly refreshing wilderness. The trees and the grass were getting on nerves. I need my comfortable bed, real food and a proper shower and toilet. I'm pretty sure I have numerous bugs in my hair, possibly lice, which is never an attractive look." I was going overboard on the reasons to compensate for making it up, and she knew it but decided to let it slide for the time being.

"Okay, if you say so, but I think we both know that it is more than a few bugs. When you're ready to talk I'm ready to listen." She got up from where she had perched herself on the coffee table and headed over to the DVD collection beside our expensive plasma screen. "Would a little _Monsters Inc_ make you feel better?" She held up the case and despite my best efforts to not get excited about my all time favourite kids movie, I let go and nodded like a obese child who had been offered the keys to Willy Wonker's Chocolate Factory.

She put the movie on, sat down on the sofa, placed a cushion on her legs and signalled for me to rest my head on her lap. The contact and the movie made me feel instantly better. My pulse rate slowed, my breathing became easier and eventually my eyes became heavy and I slipped off into a gentle sleep.

When I woke up, I could feel my Mom still playing gently with my hair and the movie was nearly done, "Sorry I fell asleep on you." She chuckled and pushed the hair that she had been stroking behind my ear so she could see the side of my face from where she was sitting.

"If you needed to sleep, you needed to sleep Santana. No need to go apologising. Remember that I love this movie almost as much as you do." I nestled closed into her lap and let out a contented sigh.

"Are you ready to talk to me yet. I think you would feel so much better if you could get whatever the problem is off of your chest." She had begun to soothingly stroke my hair again. I considered reiterating my earlier lie about bugs but I knew that she would be disappointed if I did.

"You know how sometimes I say things that I don't really mean. Like, when I feel like I'm backed into a corner and I lash out at whoever is closest." I knew she was fully aware of my rages because she had been subjected to them numerous times throughout my teenage years.

"I think I might have an idea what you're talking about." She mused.

"Well, I had one of those episodes last night. Everything had been going so great and then…." I nearly mentioned Brittany's name but I couldn't bring myself to do it. The questions that would follow and the possibility that she might work out what had happened between us stopped me, "well some stuff went down, the details aren't important," I cringed internally in describing anything to do with Brittany as unimportant, "and that made me feel confused and anxious and I lashed out at two of Quinn's friends. I was a total bitch and they had really done nothing wrong, I mean they are kind of annoying, but they didn't deserve what I said to them." She was right; it did feel good to say it out loud.

"And what did you do to rectify it?" It was a simple question, but I couldn't think of an answer… what had I done?

"I ran away."

"Mija" she moved me so that I had to sit up next to her by placing her hand on the side of my face and lifting me from her lap. She looked into my eyes, not in a judging way but in a way that made me realise what she needed to tell me was important.

"Everybody makes mistakes and says things that they don't really mean when they're scared or angry. It is not the end of the world. What is important is how you then rectify your actions." I nodded, I knew she was right and hot tears started to make their way down my cheeks.

"I know" I was really crying now, "but I'm so scared that when I do apologise they won't forgive me." I began to wipe the tears from my cheeks but my Mom wasn't quite ready to release me from the conversation quite yet.

"That isn't the point Santana. You need to tell them that you're sorry because you were in the wrong. Whether they choose to forgive or not, is up to them. But, unless you give them the option to do so, you're going to miss out on so many great friendships in your life, all because you're too scared to say you're sorry. I know you don't mean to say those things, but you do say them and until you manage to control your temper and your tongue then you're going to have to find a way to deal with the aftermath. I'm not always going to be here to catch you." After she finished speaking she pulled me into a proper Mom hug and I let the tears fall until I felt relieved of the pressure.

"Now, enough of that sad talk… How about I treat you to Breadstix Santana? You must be starving after all the camp food."

"Yes!" I couldn't quite contain my excitement. "I'm going to get changed and freshen up a little first." Mom nodded and told me that she would meet in the car.

I ran to the bathroom and splashed my face with water before going to my bedroom and changing my clothes. Since I'd been away I had kept my cell switched off at home because Quinn had told me it would be good to go cell-less for a little bit, especially considering that when I was drunk I had a tendency to call Cody and leave him abusive voicemails. However, now I was back I switched it on and an array of messages came through whilst I slipped into a fresh pair of red skinny jeans and a tight black v-neck shirt. Dressed and ready to see how many free breadsticks I could eat on this particular occasion, I had a quick breeze through my messages to see who they were from. None stood out, apart from a string of messages from Quinn asking if I had made it home safe and one from a number that wasn't registered in my phone. It read:

_I'm sorry that you felt you had to leave. If you want to talk when I get back tomorrow then call me – Britt x_

I wanted to message her back, but whilst I was still considering what to say my Mom called me from the bottom of the stairs, telling me it was time to go. Before switching my cell off I sent Quinn a quick message to let her know that I was back safe and ran downstairs to get into the car.

I jumped into the passenger seat of my Mom's car and started to mentally run through the menu to decide what I wanted to eat.

"Before we get food I need to run an errand." She said it flippantly, which prevented me from asking any questions. I put in a CD of Etta James that my Mom always kept in her car and relaxed into the seat, listening to her powerful and emotion-filled voice.

I didn't start to get suspicious until we had been driving for about forty minutes and had headed quite far out of Lima. Then I realised that perhaps it was time to find out what this mysterious errand was; I had built myself up for Breadstix and I wasn't known for my patience when it came to my stomach.

"Mom, what errand did you need to run? I need to get me some Breadstix!" I jokingly did my Lima Heights accent that my mum hated, telling me that I needed to stop pretending I was from somewhere akin to the ghetto when we lived in a huge house and my dad was a surgeon.

"I told you, we need to run a little errand first and then I promise you can go to Breakstix." I could see that she was hiding something and I was beginning to get a little bit suspicious.

"Where are we going?" My previously relaxed state was long gone and I was sitting bolt upright in my seat.

"Mija, don't get mad." She paused, obviously not wanting to continue the conversation but when she saw the resolve on my face she decided it was time to let me in on the conspiracy she'd been involved in. "Before you arrived this morning Quinn called. She had tried calling and texting you, but your cell was switched off. I answered and she was obviously upset and she told me what had happened." She said it like it was nothing but I felt my blood had cold.

"Told you what exactly? Oh my God, I honestly can't believe that she has done this, drive faster so when I get there I can kill her!" I was raging, red clouded my mind and I wanted to fight somebody, anybody, to rid myself of this feeling of uncertainty and betrayal.

"Santana, sit back now and stop acting like a self-centred spoilt brat. She was concerned about you and she didn't tell me anything that you haven't told me yourself, so stop overreacting. I may be your mother, but there are certain details of your life that I am not required to know if you don't want to tell me them." She was curt with me but I felt a jolt of relief. She didn't know about Brittany. I wasn't in the right place to have that conversation with her right now – if something did develop between me and Britt though, I hoped that one day I would feel like I could tell her, I got the impression she could be cool with it after the initial shock.

"Sorry. I know that, you're the best Mom I could ask for. So are you taking me back there?" I gulped down my concern and realised that unless I wanted to jump out of a moving vehicle I was going back to the campsite.

"Yes. I think it is important that you face your demons head on. Quinn wasn't angry this morning; she was concerned about you. So you need to go back there and sort out whatever mess you've made and learn that in these situations it is possible to make the peace." I knew she was right, I had the wisest Mom and she forced me to do what was best for me even when I was terrified.

"Thanks…" the atmosphere in the car was far too heavy and if I was going to make it back to camp without crying I knew I had to lighten the mood, "just promise me you won't burst into _Climb Every Mountain_ from _The Sound of Music_ like last time we had a little chat like this?" She started laughing out loud and I giggled along with her.

After running through the majority of the songs from _The Sound of Music_, we finally arrived at the campsite and to my surprise Quinn was sat on the bench outside the shop waiting for my arrival. Before I left the car, Mom gave me one last piece of advice. "Enjoy your last night, because these kinds of moments, when you're young and carefree, will disappear in an instant. You have to grab them with both hands and enjoy them to their fullest, because you can't ever get your youth back, once it's gone, it's gone." I leaned over and pulled her into an awkward car hug, but I didn't care if it wasn't perfect, I needed her to know how incredibly grateful I was to have her.

"Thank you." I climbed out of the car without looking back at her because I knew if I did I would start crying. Quinn approached the car pulled me into a strong hug before I even had a chance to mumble a _hello_.

"Don't do that again. Promise me?" She sounded emotional and I was pretty sure it was because she felt wrongly guilty about how upset I had been about the night before.

"I promise."

She took my hand and carried my bag back towards the campsite. But before we got to the tents she veered off, explaining that they were all hanging out at the lake. I tensed and stopped walking. The thought of actually having to face them all together was even more terrifying now it was a reality.

"Santana, come on, nobody is upset with you anymore. They all got so drunk last night that none of them can judge you for the way you acted, trust me. Some serious stuff happened last night when you were in bed… I think Kurt is still vomiting from all the alcohol he drank and I'm pretty sure Blaine isn't speaking to him for some reason. So what you did is not at the forefront of their minds. We did miss you though… especially a certain blonde. She took herself to bed at about eleven, which is practically unheard of for her when there is a party going on."

She paused to gauge my reaction at her mentioning Brittany, I knew she had gone to bed early because of the conversation I had heard between her and Quinn outside my tent, but kept my face deadpan and Quinn decided to carry on talking to fill the silence before we arrived at the lake.

"She asked me for your cell number so she could text you, I hope you don't mind. She said you didn't reply to her so she was worried…" She let the sentence linger and I realised that in this instance she was expecting a reply, perhaps making sure that when I did see Brittany in a minute's time it wasn't going to be too awkward.

"I don't mind. I got her message but didn't have time to reply because my Mom was in too much of a hurry to trick me into coming back here." It came out as bitter but I didn't mean it to. Provided this first encounter didn't go too badly, I had to admit I was glad to be back.

"She feels really bad about the ultimatum San, she wants to talk to you; do you think you might be able to?" It was clear that this morning Brittany and Quinn had engaged in some form of heart to heart about my absence and the nature of my relationship with Brittany. It made me feel a little uncomfortable that they had been talking about me behind my back, but to be honest I couldn't really blame them, I'm sure I had left Brittany in quite a confused and upset state after our morning conversation and so why shouldn't she go to Quinn for help. After all Quinn was the best person to go to when trying to figure out what was going on in my head when I did things like this and was usually the person there to pick up the pieces: last night and today's antics being a prime example.

We got to the lake, and the others were sat with their backs to us when we approached and I slowed my pace, wondering where exactly I should go and sit and how I should announce my return. That predicament was solved for me when Quinn called out to the others, causing them all to turn around to wave at Quinn and stare at me. I was expecting them all to ignore me but to my surprise they didn't, they were behaving as though nothing had happened. Their kindness and forgiveness made me feel quite emotional and the words that my Mom and Brittany had both said to me about apologising to Finn and Rachel swirled around in my head and seemed to take on a force of their own. Before I could stop myself, I was walking towards the couple that were sat on the ground in the middle of the group. Rachel was placed between Finn's legs, leaning back onto his chest and he had his arms around her protectively. I could feel every watching me in anticipation of what I was going to do, I'm sure the majority of them thought I was setting up for round two of the argument from the night before.

"I'm sorry" I knew I needed to keep it simple and decided to follow the words that Brittany had advised me to say that morning:

_Tell them that you had a lot of stuff on your mind and you took it out on them, which was wrong and you hope that they can see how sorry you are for the mean things that you said._

I continued, using her words as my inspiration. "I've had a lot of things on my mind and I wrongly took that out on you. The horrible things I said aren't true and you've all been so kind to me this week." The words fell out of my mouth in an ungraceful manner but the message of how sorry I was seemed to get across.

There was a silence and Rachel looked up at Finn to gauge what his reaction was going to be before she responded.

"No problem. It's forgotten about." Finn said sincerely and Rachel smiled widely and used his thigh to push herself off of the ground and pull me into a hug.

I was finding the close body contact a little too socially awkward and luckily Artie saved me from the situation when he called over, asking if I wanted a beer. I accepted and the group reverted back into their idle chitchat and it was as though nothing had happened and I was so grateful to Quinn and my Mom for forcing me to come back and face the situation.

Now there was still one pressing issue that I needed to build up the courage to deal with: Brittany. I had scanned the group as I arrived and couldn't see her sat on the waterfront. Then I noticed two figures in the lake. The sun hit off the water and made it sparkle as though it was full of polished diamonds and Brittany was stood in the water up to her waist, looking stunning in her pale blue bikini top that I hadn't yet seen her wearing. She had her hair tied back in two French braids, running symmetrically down either side of her head, tied at the back with a matching light blue ribbon that had gotten wet in the water. Her fair skin was covered in small water droplets and the sun was starting to catch her shoulders, turning them slightly pink. In my mind I could visualise the scattered freckles that I had spotted on her shoulders during our previous encounters, and could now imagine kissing them. She was waving her hands at Tina who was in a red bikini top, standing across from her in the water about ten metres away with an inflatable beach ball held above her head.

"Tina, come on, just throw the ball already!" Her voice sounded carefree and relaxed. I wondered if she had heard my apology to Finn and Rachel and if it had made a difference to her mood. From what Quinn had told me, alongside the message she had sent me, I was expecting her to be sombre.

"I can't! Throwing really isn't my strong point Brittany and you're standing miles away." Tina was whining and Mike and Artie, who were sitting quite close to where I was with Quinn, started laughing and goading Tina on. After much coaxing she gave in and attempted to throw the ball overhead to her impatient playmate. However, as she brought the ball through from behind her head to throw it like a sideline ball in soccer, her hands went forward and the slippery wet ball went backwards. She turned bright pink as the ball hit the water behind her head and everyone erupted into giggles. However, Tina didn't find it that funny, stating to Brittany that she knew she couldn't do it and that she didn't want to play anymore. She stormed out of the water, making sure she passed Mike on her way to direct an angry glare at him for laughing at her, and made her way back to base camp.

"Um…" Mike uttered as the group watched her leave, "I should go check on her." He sprung from the floor and nervously followed his girlfriend, calling out her name softly before he caught up with her.

After watching the spectacle I turned back to the water and was surprised when I found Brittany unabashedly staring at me. She gave me a coy smile and I returned it, feeling butterflies tingle in my stomach as I did. She didn't hold my gaze for too long, not wanting to make the moment to uncomfortable I suppose. She waded through the water gracefully and collected the ball that Tina had failed to throw, in time for Sam to meet her in the water and offer to play catch with her as a replacement.

As they began to play, I found myself unintentionally fixated on watching Brittany. I loved the way her body moved, how her long slender limbs were simultaneously graceful and powerful, just as they were when she danced. She made me aware that she knew I was watching because every now and again she would flick a look in my direction and it soon became clear that she was performing this for me. She knew she was beautiful and standing in the water in only a bikini, showed off how raw that beauty was. She didn't need to adorn herself in anything to make herself look gorgeous; she was naturally breathtaking.

"Why don't you stop watching and start joining?" Quinn's voice broke me out of my staring.

"Huh?" I pretended to not be aware of what she meant, but she ignored me, knowing full well that I was aware.

"Get your bathing suit out of your bag and get in and join her. You've already conquered one confrontation today; why not get them both out of the way. It's our last night on camp Santana… probably best to make the most of it don't you think?" I recognised that she was referring to the fact that once we left the site tomorrow and headed back to Lima, everything was going to change. I didn't even know where Brittany lived and even if we were able to meet up, where could we go? I was hardly ready to bring her back to my house, I mean I could tell my mum she was a friend that I had made, but that would mean lying to her… well not lying because Britt and I were only friends, well not even friends I suppose, new acquaintances that have mind-blowing sex, well did have mind-blowing sex, past tense. My mind was racing a thousand miles an hour and I knew that I needed to stop thinking about everything and actually start acting on it. Start to listen to my instincts and, well, Quinn's sound advice.

I didn't need Quinn to say any more, I grabbed my bag that Quinn had placed behind where we were sitting and ran off towards the shower block to get my bikini on. I was just hoping that Brittany wouldn't think that I had run off and leave the water before I was back.

Locked into one of the confined shower cubicles I fought to get my clothes off as quickly as I possibly could – at one point resulting in me losing my balance whilst trying to get my foot out of my very tight skinny jeans, hopping into the partition and landing on my ass with a thud. It hurt, and had I not been in such a hurry I probably would have been in a lot more pain, but I was determined to make it back to the lake as quick as I could. After what felt like hours, which was in fact more a matter of minutes, I was bikini clad and ready to go. I'd chosen the first one that I could find in my bag, which also happened to be my favourite. It was a strapless green top with beads and embroidery on it and matching green shorts-style bottoms. When I got back to the water I noticed that Sam was walking towards the shore, followed by Brittany. However, when she saw me approach ready for a swim she stopped and I could tell she was attempting to fight the grin that was desperate to creep onto her face. I forced my feet to keep going, but couldn't hold her gaze any longer. I was fiddling nervously with my fingers and was keeping my gaze firmly on the grass in front of me. I felt as though I was in one of those films where everything around the protagonist goes silent and everything moves in slow motion. When I looked up to see if everyone was watching me approach the water, I found that they were all too wrapped up in their own conversations to care. Sooner than I was ready for, I was at the water's edge and Brittany was stood a metre in front of me. I didn't know whether to speak now, or walk up to her, or just stop and wait for her to engage with me – I really needed to stop over-thinking these kinds of social interactions and go with my instincts. Lucky for me Britt was the sort of person who did go with her gut feelings.

"Santana" She said quietly but it was enough to draw my eyes from toes and up to her face. She was stood with the water up to he knees holding her hand out for me to take.

"The water is really refreshing. Come on, let's go for a swim." She asked me with an edge of nervousness to her voice that I probably wouldn't have picked up on if I wasn't aware of how tense this situation was for us both. I didn't reply to her because my throat had become restricted and my mouth too dry, so instead I walked towards her, took her hand and allowed her to lead me into the water. Once we were submerged in water up to our shoulders she turned to face me and took my other hand in hers as well.

"I'm really glad you came back. Camp wasn't the same without you last night and today all I've been able to think about is us. I am so sorry I gave you an ultimatum, it was wrong of me. Sometimes I forget that it is not as easy for other people as it was for me to come to terms with liking girls. I was being selfish and I would like to officially revoke the ultimatum, if possible. Please." Brittany squeezed my hands under the water. It certainly hadn't been the speech I was expecting; I thought I was going to be the one doing the apologising.

"Offer accepted" I gulped out the words, feeling a little giddy from the intimacy of our conversation and the fact that our hands were still linked under the water. However, now that the peace was made and the ultimatum revoked, what did that mean for us? Did we simply go back to it being how it was before we had run into difficulties, because that made me incredibly nervous, or were we suppose to let things slowly build up. The thought of the latter made me feel more comfortable, but the bid for comfort was overridden when I realised again that this was our last night, and despite how nervous I was, things were going to need to progress slightly quicker.

We were stood facing each other, neither able to find the right words. I watched as she subconsciously ran her tongue across the bottom lip; the action made me want to kiss her more than anything but something stopped me. So instead I dropped her hands in order to slide my palms along her abdomen, around her waist and onto her back. We fell into a comfortable embrace. I rested my head on her shoulder, with my head facing inwards, enjoying the comfort of her arms resting protectively on my shoulders. She kissed the top of my head and I could sense her eyes looking down on me, taking in the view, making me know that I was admired. We stayed like this for a while, using the peacefulness of being alone in the water to rebuild ties. I was aware that the others had probably been watching the display from the shore but they were respecting our privacy and didn't call out or interrupt which I was very appreciative of, as right now it felt like Britt and I were the only two people in the world.

Finally, she broke the silence.

"Are you ready to join the others? I think it is nearly dinner time." Her voice was questioning and not at all demanding, assuring me that if I didn't want to go I could say and she wouldn't mind.

I pulled away from her embrace slightly, so that I could look at her whilst I spoke. As I did I sent a quick glance back to shore and realised that the reason the others were so quiet was because they had all packed up and left. I had been so engrossed in the close contact with Brittany than I had been craving that I didn't even realise they had gone.

"Sure… but one more thing before we go." Our faces were only inches apart and I thought she knew where I was going with this, but apparently not. A panicked look crossed her features as she thought I was going to drop some kind of bombshell.

"What is it?" I felt her arms tense on my shoulders and I felt guilty for making her feel apprehensive.

"This."

I closed the distance between our lips, pressing mine on hers so gently and I felt her arms relax at the pressure as she melted into me. It was a chaste kiss, but enough to quench both of our desires to feel the other close again. I moved my lips away for a moment and then pressed a peck back onto hers, which she returned.

"Let's go." It took all my strength to pull away from her and break our intense eye contact, but the intensity of the kiss was about as much as I could cope with at that point. However, I could tell from the stirring inside me that it wasn't going to take me all that long to let our connection develop into something deeper. I took her hand and led her from the water, carefully lacing our fingers and enjoying the way they fitted together so well. I had a feeling that our last night on camp was going to be the best night of the whole week.

Absence really did make the heart grow fonder.

We ambled towards base camp together, both revelling in the euphoria of having shared another fantastic kiss.

"I'm really glad you came back." Brittany mused gently, moving towards me to bump our shoulders together as she said it.

"Me too." I couldn't stop myself from grinning.


	10. Chapter 10

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

A/N:** Bit of Smut in this one readers. Ye are warned.**

**RIP Maurice Sendak**

**Chapter Ten**

Although Brittany and I had shared a reuniting kiss, we had reached a point of awkwardness. Sitting next to each other at the campfire, our legs and arms brushing occasionally, I would be lying if I said I didn't let that happen more frequently than was necessary, we were stilted and overly aware of ourselves. I caught the group glancing over to us on numerous occasions, obviously seeking out any news on how our relations were going. However, both of us seemed to lack the courage to take things any further. I wanted to take her hand, but having made the lead to kiss her earlier in the water and having been the one to storm off in a sulk that morning, I figured it was her call as to whether she felt comfortable acting like we were dating in front of the others. The only problem being that she didn't seem to be taking any action towards being tactile with me. Instead she was incredibly engaged with the conversation that was going on with the rest of the group, she was leaning forward, resting her arms on her knees and laughing and joking along with her friends. I felt a pang of jealousy because I didn't have her full attention, but deep down I knew that it was my own fault. We could have had hours together today and I had ruined it. Now I had to respect the fact that despite our super hot kiss in the water, she had decided that for her last night on camp she wanted to spend time with her friends, not cuddled up to me being soppy.

Quinn recognised that I was feeling slightly out of the loop, the group were discussing events and people that I didn't know, so she got up from where she was sat across the circle and perched next to me, kneeling on the grass, which was damp from the moist evening air.

"You okay?" She sounded concerned and I appreciated her noticing that I was feeling a bit like an outsider.

"Yeh, fine." I said back, forcing a grin to try and prove to her that I wasn't going to make a fuss. I had planned to sit and listen to their conversation, merely enjoying the way the close friends all interacted with each other.

For the first time since we had sat down I felt Brittany's gaze on me. She leaned her shoulder into mine playfully and forced me to change my gaze from Quinn to her.

"I thought we might go for a walk later? Once we're done chatting here." I realised that Brittany had planned on asking me that the whole time we had been sitting there, but it wasn't until Quinn had highlighted to her that I maybe felt left out that she decided to enlighten me with her plans.

"I'd like that." I swallowed nervously. Although I couldn't wait for alone time with the blonde, it came with a whole heap of expectation that I found hard to comprehend.

When I turned back to speak to Quinn I realised that she had already moved back to her place across the circle. She gave me a wink before turning her attention to Mercedes who was sat next to her, laughing so hard that she had to lean on Quinn's leg to stop from falling off of the bench.

Although I felt guilty for thinking it, I was willing the conversation to die down so that Brittany would decide it was a good time to go for our private walk. The suspense was killing me and eventually I gave into it and made a quick grab for her hand. It made her jump because I had grabbed it so forcefully and in the process my nail scratched the back of her hand, leaving a white mark that quickly turned into a vibrant red.

'Oh shit, I'm so sorry!" I let go and ran my fingers across the mark gently.

She didn't say anything, but I could feel her watching me and I looked up into her face.

"I was getting worried that you were never going to touch me this evening." She said it sincerely and it caused a blush to cover my cheeks, as I took the double meaning in her words, whether she intended them or not. She had obviously been waiting for me to make the first move again, which made sense, as I was the one that had freaked out and was still dealing with the fact that we were both women and dating.

She moved her hand from underneath my fingers that were exploring the red line on her skin and laced our fingers together. She then pulled our linked hands towards her and locked them between her thighs so that I couldn't let go, not that I wanted to.

After she did that I was able to finally relax and listen to the general chatter going on around the circle. Even though I didn't know a lot of what they were talking about, it gave me an insight into their lives and how close they all were at college. It made me think about Britt and I in the future, if we were to take this further, consider some kind of relationship, I would inevitably become part of this group and that made me feel comforted. The way they had been so welcoming and forgiving this past week, made me want to be part of it. If we were to develop into something after this holiday was over, being a part of her life at college certainly wouldn't be a chore. However, thinking about post camping holiday made me tense, in a few weeks I would be moving back to New York and all of this would start to become a memory, a summer that I would cherish but couldn't hold on to forever. Brittany must have felt my hand tense because she turned to face me, leaning her knees towards me and using her other hand to cup my knee.

"Are you over-thinking again?"

I was amazed at how well she was already able to read my body language.

"Maybe." I sighed, resigned to the fact that my brain really wasn't very good at switching off, even when I was desperate for it to do so.

"Well," she ran her tongue over her bottom lip, probably in concentration, but I couldn't help was see it in a sexual way, "perhaps I could help to clear your mind a little… we could go somewhere a little more private…" She let the sentence trail off but finished it with her eyes, trailing them down my body and lingering a little too long on my chest and between my legs – indicating to me exactly how she was going to clear my mind.

She was trying to seduce me, I think, I was still getting used to reading the signs of lesbian flirting. Well I say trying to seduce me, even if that wasn't her intention it was definitely the result.

It was working already, I was relived when my mind went clear, except for the naughty thoughts that now wondered into it. Brittany was looking at me with arousal oozing from her and the intensity of it caused me to glance downwards coyly. However, this ploy to escape her sexual intentions failed when my eyes connected with her long fingers. Fingers that every time I saw reminded me of how she had pushed them inside of me, making me tip over the edge.

"Please." I didn't want to come across as being desperate, but her subtle sexual connotation made me turned on to the point that I couldn't even bring myself to flirt with her. All I could think about was taking her off somewhere private and letting her take advantage of me in my vulnerable and aroused state. I had never been this submissive to any of the guys I'd been with, usually I took the lead, asserting my sexual power over them to stop them being in control over me. With Britt it was different, I trusted her and didn't mind the idea of letting her be the dominant partner. In fact, I craved her dominating me.

One suggestive comment from Brittany, coupled with the fact that she had now started to slide her hand where it was placed on my knee, up my thigh and towards my centre, had me incredibly sexual frustrated. I turned into an aroused lump of jell-o. When she stood up and pulled me up with her I was worried that my legs wouldn't work, they felt like the bones had been removed and I didn't think I would be able to support myself.

"San and I are going for a walk." Britt announced to the rest of the group, totally interrupting the flow of their conversation and causing an array of stunned faced to look up at us.

I was so embarrassed but it was too late to do anything about it as Britt has already dragged me from the circle. I looked back and caught Quinn's eye. She had a smirk on her face and said loud enough for everyone to hear "enjoy Santana."

I hadn't blushed so much since I was a kid, but once we were away from view I felt my confidence return a little. Brittany slowed her pace so that we were now strolling side by side. She let go of my hand and looped her arm through mine instead, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Can we go to the waterside? I want to lie down and look at the stars with you." She sounded dreamy and all the sexuality that had laced her voice only moments before temporarily disappeared. It felt like we were a couple, on a date and although a streak of panic went through me, it felt so good there was no way I was going to let myself freak out and miss out on the perfect occasion.

"Definitely. But there is one condition." I said it teasingly, but the sentence was enough to make Brittany lift her head from my shoulder to look at my face and check that I was jesting.

"Continue…" Her eyebrows raised and I could tell she couldn't figure out what my terms were going to be.

"You let me snuggle up to you." It sounded so cheesy but I didn't care; especially when I saw a huge grin spread across her face like wildfire and she rested her head back on my shoulder.

"I think that can be arranged." She sounded content.

In that moment I was able to imagine what it would be like to be Brittany's girlfriend. Woah, the big 'G' word that I had been avoiding thinking about all this time. I wasn't quite ready to talk to Britt about it or go telling everybody, but if every moment of being with her could be as intimate and private as the one I was currently in, I could do it now. The knowledge gave me a boost and changed my mentality towards our post-camp future. I realised that where I had thought before there was very little possibility of taking this into the real world; now I was finding it difficult to think of going forward without it. Brittany made me feel like no one else had ever made me feel at this point in a courtship. That had to mean something right?

We found a spot by the water, and both settled ourselves on our backs, looking up into the clear night sky. Out here in the secluded wilderness the stars shone so brightly, so much brighter than they did in New York. I curled into Brittany's body tucking my head into the nook between her chin and shoulder. She encouraged the contact by placing her arm around my shoulder, gripping my shoulder with her hand and pulling me closer into her. At first we lay there in silence and my body was resting against the side of hers.

"I don't want this to end… can we go back to the beginning of the week and start again?" She sounded sad and so I comforted her, the only way I knew how. I lifted my left leg and placed it over hers, which meant half of my body was now on top of hers and lifted my head so that our faces were only inches apart.

"I wish we could too." I said sincerely. Usually I would shy away from such intimacy with people but seeing Brittany this vulnerable and open with me, brought out protectiveness that I wasn't really aware I had. I moved my left hand from where it had been resting on her hip and began to stroke the side of her face, brushing away the stray blonde hairs that were distributed messily on her forehead and cheek.

She was staring straight into my eyes, not letting up at all, and it made me stop my actions and look back down at her. "It's going to be alright Britt." I found myself turning into the supportive and strong partner; which was strange but I enjoyed being strong for Brittany. I realised that despite all her confidence and self-assurances of her sexuality she was just as uncertain and exposed as I was. She was worried about our future; I had already known that from her ultimatum but I was beginning to realise the psychology behind her actions. She didn't do it because she wanted to force me into a decision; it was because she was scared. The thought of losing me after camp was over, and losing our comfortable and romantic bubble scared her. She wanted reassurance that when we got back I wasn't going to claim she was some kind of rebound and sexual experiment and go back to sleeping with men.

I lowered myself towards her, capturing her lips in a chaste kiss, full of intent. I felt her lips form into a smile under my lips and it made me smile too. I left our lips so they were barely touching and took the opportunity to tell her what I thought about her before things got too heated and she took my breath away. I couldn't promise her that we were going to have a relationship now, not that I was ruling it out long-term, but I could tell her what I thought about her, my feelings for her in that moment, and hope that it was enough to quash her fears.

"You are the most beautiful person I have ever met." I heard her voice catch in her throat, I had definitely caught her off guard. 'And nobody makes me feel the way that you make me feel. You are funny, smart, caring, understanding, and right now there is nobody else that I would rather be with. Every time you touch me," as I said the words, my lips brushed against hers, causing her to arch her back to get more contact, "I feel like I am about to explode. You have this effect on me that I can't even begin to describe." Before I could say anymore she lifted her head from the ground and crashed our lips together. We kissed deeply and her tongue pressed against my lips, requesting entrance. I granted her access instantly and couldn't prevent the moan that escaped into her mouth when her tongue began to massage mine.

My hands started to roam across her body and soon found their way beneath her top, sliding across her toned abs and gripping into her ribcage. I found myself rocking into her body, enjoying the friction that it caused, desperate to try to relieve some of the tension that was building between my legs. Brittany's hands had gone south, she gripped my hips and pulled me on top of her. She was being so forceful; I could tell that she was desperate to touch me. I had never felt so wanted and desired in my life. It wasn't like when I had slept with guys and they used me to get themselves off, she was desperate to make me cum. With me flush on top of her, she grabbled the bottom of my top and pulled it over my head, quickly followed by her nimble fingers undoing the clasp of my bra. This time it wasn't slow and sensual as it had been before, checking that I was comfortable, this was pure primal need.

I started to kiss her neck roughly, nipping at the skin. I wanted to leave my mark on her, let everyone know that she was mine. I took her tender skin into my mouth and sucked down hard on it. Whilst I did so, Brittany held onto my shoulders and I could feel her jagged breaths on my shoulder. Suddenly, she decided it was time to take things a step further; she raised her knee so that it pressed hard against my centre and I automatically pressed down onto it. I couldn't concentrate on kissing her neck any longer as the sparks of pleasure emanated from my heated centre. I placed my hands flat on the ground either-side of her and ground down onto her thigh. I rubbed myself up and down and as I did so she placed her hands back on my hips, pushing me down further and encouraging my hips to move faster. I could feel my orgasm already starting to build and I was worried that I was going to cum without her even touching me. Just as I thought it was going to get too much, Brittany sensed it and took the opportunity when my hips stalled to flip me. I landed on my back with a thud, but before I could process the pain her lips were on mine, hungrily catching my lips and tongue in her teeth. After we had kissed until we were both too out of breath to carry on, she sat back onto my hips, straddling me and made a show of removing her top and bra for me to watch. Her body was stunning, I couldn't imagine ever getting tired of looking at it. He blonde hair fell down across her shoulders, nearly meeting her pink nipples that were erect with arousal. The sight gave me a new lease of energy and I pulled her back down onto me and kissed her. My hands soon found her nipples and I twisted them between my fingers, making her yelp in pleasure and bite down on my bottom lip, almost drawing blood. As my fingers played and massaged her breasts, it was her turn to draw some friction. She pressed herself into my thigh and it was the first time that I heard her audibly moan and it made me so turned on. However, she managed to stop herself from taking it too far, realising that her first aim was to dominate me and not get herself off quite yet. She stopped kissing my lips and placed her mouth over my nipple, tugging the delicate peak between her teeth and making me cry out. I knew people could probably hear me, but I didn't care, there was no way I could have the blonde do these incredible things to me without making any noise. She used her hand to tease my other nipple and after a few minutes I couldn't take the pressure anymore, I needed her to touch me. I needed to feel her inside of me.

"Britt," I tried to say it quietly, but as I spoke she bit down again and it turned into a loud moan. It made her giggle and lift her eyes so she could see into my face without stopping what she was doing.

"Please," my voice was breathy and desperate but I was beyond caring, "I need more." I was worried she was going to tease me even further, but I realised that her need to touch me was as strong as my need to be touched.

She began kissing down my tummy, licking and nipping occasionally as she went. When she reached the top of my trousers she slipped her tongue beneath the top edge of the waistband and ran her tongue the full length of the top edge. It made my hips buck and I soon realised where this was going. Britt wasn't going to be using just her fingers tonight. A flash of nerves hit me. I had never let anybody go down on me before. I didn't feel confident or secure enough with anyone to let them be that intimate. Although I was smoking hot and I knew it, I was still insecure when it came to the more intimate parts of my body. However, Brittany had already started to remove my pants and underwear and although I nearly stopped her, the thought of her sliding her tongue over me was too great. The thought of it overpowered any insecurity I felt.

Lying there, completely naked in front of her, I should have felt vulnerable, but I didn't. For some reason I trusted the blonde and I came to realise that I would probably let her do anything because I felt so safe. She placed herself between my legs and started to lick and nip up the inside of my thigh. As the night air hit my centre I could feel how wet I was, I would have been self-conscious usually, but right now I wanted Britt to know how wet she made me. Within moments she reached the place where my thigh met my torso and I drew in breath. Preparing myself for the first time she was going to taste me, the first time anybody was going to taste me. She looked up at me, waiting to get final confirmation. Regardless of how much she wanted me, she took the time to make sure I wanted it as much as she did. I didn't say anything, but did lace my fingers with hers, realising that the moment was going to be so overwhelming I would need the comfort of holding her hand, and it was enough to make her continue.

She kissed my outer lips at first, which made my stomach do backflips in anticipation. I squeezed her hand and she took it further again. For a moment there was a break in contact, and then I felt the tip of her tongue run along my slit. Not quite penetrating me, but enough to make my mouth drop open and my head tilt backwards as I raised my hips towards her mouth. On the second stroke from the bottom to the top of my pussy, she pushed her tongue in further, making contact with the delicate and pink skin inside. On the next stroke she went deeper again, this time I felt her tongue graze against my opening and across my sensitive clit and I moaned. On the last stroke she didn't make it up to my clit, she settled at my wet aching opening and she dipped her rigid tongue inside of me. My body tensed and I held her hand so tightly I'm sure it must have been painful for her. Her tongue dipped in and out of me, picking up a rhythm that I matched with the consistent guttural moan that came from me every time her tongue reached its deepest point inside of me. It felt sensational. I never wanted it to end. My walls began to tighten and although it wasn't enough pressure to make me cum, it felt so good that I lifted my legs so that I trapped her head between them. After a few more thrusts she stopped, and rested her head against my pelvis. I could hear her trying to catch her breath. She stroked the inside of my thigh and pushed my leg down so that it was against the floor, causing my legs to be splayed and giving her a full view of me. I looked down at her and realised that she was looking at me, taking in my centre. My instinct was to cover up, I was scared in case she didn't like what she saw and changed her mind, but before I could move her finger started to explore my slit and she watched as the tip dipped into me. One fingers became two and suddenly knowing that she was watching became a huge turn on. Then she entered a third finger and I cried out her name. My pussy felt so full, the skin was pulled taut and every wall inside was in contact with her lithe fingers. My orgasm began to build and I thought I couldn't get anymore fulfilled, until I felt her tongue press down onto my clit. This time I couldn't stop the loudness of my moan. It was primal and I had never heard that kind of noise come out of me before. Brittany's tongue began to circle me, changing direction every now and again, catching me off guard. I squeezed her hand and used my other one to hold onto her blonde hair, showing her that I didn't want her to take her tongue away. As the tension built my moans got even louder and closer together. I was getting so close and as I did I ground myself into her face and hand. I was getting rough and strong with my actions but I couldn't stop myself. I needed to cum; I needed Brittany to make me cum as soon as possible.

"Britt… Britt. Keep. Going. Of fuck, oh fuck." My words were staccato and I felt as though I was going to go hoarse from the shouting.

Finally the end came and I felt the explosion that I had been dying for. My body tensed. I felt a gush between my legs and I was sure I had flooded Brittany's mouth and fingers. I had never felt myself cum like that, but then I had never had an orgasm as forceful as that before.

My body began to shake and Brittany kept her ministrations, but slowed them down, bringing me back to earth. My breathing was still erratic and I felt like I was never going to catch my breath. Every now and again her tongue would catch my clit and send another spark through my body, catching me and making me moan again. Eventually, I began to get a grip on myself, I took my hands from Brittany and held them to my head, opening up my body so that I got as much oxygen in as I could, like you do when you have just run a 100m sprint.

Brittany kept her fingers inside of me, but moved up my body, covering me with herself. She leant on her elbow next to my head and started to pepper kissed along my neck, cheek and lips. I was too exhausted to respond but she didn't seem to mind.

With the initial shock over, and my breathing back to a semi normal pace, all I wanted now was for Britt to hold me. I felt emptied, not in a bad way, but as though I had been purged. All of my worries and stresses were gone. All I could think of was Brittany and the pleasure and comfort she could bring me so easily. I took her wrist and moved her hand from my pussy. Her fingers were covered in my cum and when I was expecting her to wipe it on the grass, she did something I had never seen someone do with me after sex. She pulled her fingers into her mouth, one by one, and sucked off all the excess moisture. Once she had done so and they were clean, she leaned down and kissed me. I could taste myself on her lips and where I would usually flip out about that kind of thing; with Brittany it just felt like another way that I could be as connected to her as possible. Tasting myself on her lips was magical.

"You taste incredible." She mused the words as she carried on kissing my neck and I was glad she couldn't see the blush that made it's way onto my cheeks.

I held her as tightly as I could into my body, craving the closeness and she got the message. She rocked us so that she was on her back and allowed me to snuggled into her, in the same position we had been in before all of it started. I loved the feel of her body against mine, even if she did still have her jeans on, I didn't care. I clung to her; feeling that no matter how strong we held onto each other the closeness would never be close enough. She kissed the top of my head and stroked my arms comfortingly.

"Do you think anybody heard?" Although in the moment I had no control or care over how loud I was, now I was starting to worry a little. I felt her chest vibrate under my cheek as she laughed.

"Santana, I think the whole state heard you." She sounded proud of what she had achieved, not at all embarrassed. However, I was mortified. I buried my face into her chest and whimpered. She continued, "but is was so hot, so I really don't care. I would do it over and over again to hear you moan like that." This made me laugh and I took some strength from her attitude. A little embarrassment over how noisy I was; was totally worth what I got to experience.

"This is perfect." I mused and she gave me a little squeeze in agreement. I didn't want to move, but it was starting to get cold and I was very aware of the fact that my body was on full display for anybody who happened upon us.

"I know. We can stay here a little longer if you like? You sleep, I'll stay awake and then we'll go back to my tent in a little while." She was so caring and it made my heart swell.

"Are you sure? You must be tired." She had worked out harder than me in that little session but an orgasm of that magnitude had made me so sleepy.

"I'm sure. I think you need to get your strength back."

A sly grin appeared on my face. She was right; we only had until sunrise. I needed to get my strength back; it was my turn to do the hard work once we were back in her tent.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

**RIP Maurice Sendak**

**A/N: Sorry it has taken me so long to write this update. When I was hoping to write last weekend, I ended up having to edit a lot of my chapters as there was a bit of panic about fics being deleted from the site. I am really sorry that they have been changed; hopefully most of you got to read them before that happened. I'm working on posting all of my chapters elsewhere (probably Livejournal or Tumblr) and then I will change the chapters on here back to the originals, that way if they do get deleted you will know where to go to read the rest of the fic. So, sorry again! **

**As always, thanks for your comments and alerts.**

**Chapter Eleven**

"'Tana…" I could vaguely hear her voice through the sleepiness, but I was so comfortable that I didn't want to move.

"Santana, sweetie, it is time to get up now…" She was gently rocking me as she said the words and I began to shift into the land of the conscious.

"Mmmm no, I don't want to get up." I whined, still refusing to open my eyes.

"Come one, you're shivering. Let's go back to the tent and get warm. I promise you'll be more comfortable." She was rubbing her hands up and down my arms and I suddenly became aware that I was very naked and out in the open. My eyes shot open and I pushed myself off of her. Making her giggle and sit up beside me.

"Where's the fire?" She nudged her shoulder against mine.

As my eyes adjusted I realised how dark it had become. I could only make out the water because it was reflecting the moon. Brittany was sat so close to me and I couldn't prevent myself from leaning into her. Pressing our foreheads together and staring deeply into her eyes.

"No fire." I grinned like the Cheshire cat and it was contagious as she returned it almost instantly.

"Good" She tilted her head so that our noses touched and she brushed them against each other, side to side.

"Can we stay here a little bit longer? I'm not ready for this night to finish yet."

She didn't reply straight away, instead she broke out foreheads apart and moved away from me. At first the lack of contact scared me, but then I realised that she had manoeuvred herself so that she was facing the water, her legs in a v-shape and she patted the floor in front of her, encouraging me to come and sit between her legs. I did as she asked without a moments thought and a flurry of butterflies flew through my bloodstream as she wrapped her arms around me from behind, gripped me into place with her bent knees and placed a chaste kiss on my bare shoulder before resting her chin on the same spot.

"Of course we can. But this way I can keep you warm too." She spoke quietly, barely above a whisper because her lips were so close to my ear.

I sunk into her arms, bringing my knees up to my chest so that we were a tight and interlocking unit. We didn't speak for ages, purely enjoying the moment and the calm of our surroundings. It should have felt awkward, but being with Britt like this didn't have that effect. We were comfortable with each other and it was a spectacular feeling. I could feel perfectly content with her, without even saying a word.

I had lost all concept of time, we could have sat like that for hours, or merely minutes; I couldn't tell you. I had become so lost in my thoughts from the sensation of Brittany's body so close to mine. All other thoughts appeared to go blurry in my mind as I kept replaying moments that Brittany and I had shared throughout the week. However, my euphoria was broken when I felt Brittany shiver against me and I realised we were both covered in goosepimples from the cold. I tapped her on the leg, giving her knee a quick squeeze and turned to look at her.

"Come on, let's go get our snuggle on in your tent." I could only see her face in profile but I could see her lips pull up at the edges.

"Okay."

She kissed my check a few times, making me squirm and become embarrassed. I got up from the ground and offered her my hand to pull her up with me.

"Are you going to put some clothes on?" She raked over my body with her eyes and the hunger that looking at my body brought out in her really wasn't hard to see.

"Do you want me to?" I placed my hand on my hip and replied in a cocky tone. The likelihood of anyone seeing me was quite slim. The camp was deathly quiet and pitch black.

"If it was up to me you would never wear clothes Santana."

I was surprised by her comeback and my previous confidence waned with her obviously lustful comment, particularly with the look that followed it.

Brittany decided to take full advantage of my shock; she grabbed all the clothes that had been distributed on the ground and started to run towards base camp, managing to clamber into a t-shirt as she went, so that she was fully clothed.

It took a moment for me to register what was happening, my legs wouldn't move and my mouth was opening and closing like a fish.

Finally my brain kicked into gear and I chased her down, shouting her name and demanding her to stop and give me my clothes back. I followed her all the way back to near her tent, catching up with her as she slowed down, reaching her destination. She was laughing so hard, bent over attempting to catch her breath from running and laughing simultaneously and it was one of the most perfect sites I had ever seen. She looked radiant. When I got up close to her and tugged her into a hug and peppered kisses all over her neck and face, making her giggle even more.

"Would you guys… Oh GOD! Santana! Put some clothes on!"

I could make out Quinn's voice and took a quick peak towards her tent, only to find her covering her eyes and turning her head away from us. Usually I would have panicked and said something mean to cover up the fact that I was actually embarrassed. However, Brittany had my guard lowered so far down I couldn't help but laugh at Quinn's reaction and continued my assault on Brittany's neck. I honestly couldn't remember the last time I felt that giddy. It was like I was a school-girl falling in love for the first time. She made my head spin, my knees go week and my brain turn to mush. Most of my friends wouldn't recognise me if they saw me like this and it was all down to Brittany.

"I think we should go in the tent before Quinn has some kind of meltdown." Brittany whispered into my ear and used her body to cover my naked body as she ushered me into the tent.

"Sorry Quinn." I heard her murmur before she followed me inside.

"Can you at least wait until I fall sleep before you start up again?" Quinn groaned as she climbed back into her tent.

Feeling light-headed, I yelled back "I'm not promising anything," which Quinn responded to with a frustrated moan and I could picture her placing her pillow over her head to block out the upcoming noise.

Inside the tent, I got to work on Brittany's clothes straight away, not liking the fact that she was now fully clothed again, whilst I was stark naked. She gave me no resistance as I pealed away the offending material; in fact she made a concerted to help me take her clothes off quicker.

I found her centre immediately, this time not taking the time to build it up. I wanted to feel her and the way she arched into my fingers and lifted her back of the floor was enough to tell me she felt the same way. I kissed along her jaw and neck, licking the skin every now and again. Her eyes were pinned closed and she bit down on her lip as the pressure I applied to her clit got stronger. I could see she was building up quickly and although part of me wanted to drag it out, I could tell that she needed this release. She had spent the past few hours watching me sleep, straight after touching me, if I had been in the same position I would be literally at bursting point.

"Open your eyes." I'd said it as soon as the thought came into my head. It was something that I had never been open enough to do with other people. I spent my whole life being guarded and thinking everything through before I said it, apart from insults of course, they basically rolled off my tongue. But with Britt, I felt I could say things without thinking first, because I knew that she would never judge me for them, no matter how strange or silly they might seem.

Her eyes flashed open instantly and I could see how close she way by the way her pupils were dilated and that she barely blinked. Her breath became jagged and uneven and her arms clung into my body, desperate to keep herself grounded as the waves of her orgasm began to overcome her senses.

She managed to keep her eyes locked on mine the entire time and it was the most intimate moment I had ever experienced when pleasuring somebody. I could see the unwavering trust in her eyes as she went soaring up to dizzy heights and then came crashing back down again.

"Santana" she whispered my name and I instinctively gripped her even tighter into my body, still maintaining eye contact.

"You are the most beautiful person I have ever met in my life." I was never usually that soppy but in the moment I had to tell her. I honestly couldn't get over quite how stunning she was, especially when were sharing moments like this. Her face blushed an even darker shade of pink.

"I…" she faltered and I worried for a moment as I saw her face contort slightly, but she continued, "I love being with you."

"I love being with you too."

I knew it wasn't what she had been planning to say but part of me was grateful. So far I had pushed the concept of _love_ to the back of my mind. Thinking it was way to early to be thinking about such things. We weren't even officially together yet but part of me knew why, in that moment, she had wanted to say those three words. However, _I love being with you_, was enough for both of us to handle for now. There was plenty of time.

"I need to sleep now." She looked dozy and I understood how she was feeling, I'd experienced it merely hours before. Post orgasm sleepiness. So I lay flat on my back and pulled her into me, making sure that we were covered with some blankets so we didn't get cold. She drifted off to sleep first and feeling the consistent rhythm of her breathing on my shoulder and her expanding ribcage against my side soon lulled me to sleep. It was a lullaby that I could see myself getting used to.

The next morning I had woken up first, which made a change. I nuzzled into Britt's collarbone, enjoying the babbling that it caused.

"Have you found the key… it's in the sock now."

She was talking absolute gibberish and I had to work so hard to stifle the sniggering that was threatening to come out.

"No Mr Snooks, you can't come to the fair."

After each sentence she mumbled something incoherent, and nestled herself back into my body.

"Girls… girls…" Quinn's voice invaded the moment of amusement and roused Brittany from her sleep. She self-consciously checked to make she hadn't drooled and flattened her hair before looking towards me with sleep-ridden eyes.

"You're 'wake before me." She was still so sleepy that she had trouble pronouncing her sentences properly, fumbling over her words.

"Certainly am. And you tell me Snooks that he is definitely not going to the fair!"

She looked at me as though I had slipped myself some drugs whilst she was asleep but didn't have time to question my seemingly wacky behaviour because Quinn was shouting at us again.

"Come in Quinn, nothing to see that you didn't get a good look at last night." It was so much fun winding up Quinn. However, I did make sure that both Britt and I were fully concealed as I wasn't overly keen about Quinn seeing either me or Britt naked.

Quinn undid the zip and poked her head inside.

"Hey, so we need to make a move soon… everyone is pretty much packed up and ready to go. Um… Santana… I've taken your tent down and packed it in my car with mine and your bag is out here, still packed from yesterday…"

She left the sentence hanging and then I realised she was waiting for me to tell her that I was coming with her. However, as much as I loved spending time with Quinn, I wanted to stay with Britt a bit longer.

"Do you want to come back in my car?" Brittany said it so softly, that I had to strain to work out what she had said.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded her affirmation and I looked back to Quinn, "It's alright, I'll catch a ride with Brittany. Thank you for packing away my tent."

"No problem. But can we meet up tomorrow for a coffee? I'd like to spend some time together… if you want to that is?" Quinn looked uncertain and I was suddenly aware of how I had neglected her since this whirlwind romance with Brittany.

"Definitely. I'll buy."

She nodded her appreciation and gave us both a small Quinn-like wave as she exited the tent.

"I guess I better start packing up…"

I could tell from her tone that she was just as reluctant as I was to get up.

"Well they're all leaving anyway, so what harm would another five minutes do?" I suggested and Brittany's face took on a horrified expression.

"Five minutes!" She sounded shocked and I started to back peddle telling her we could get up now and say goodbye if she wanted, but she was too busy repeating "five minutes" to hear me.

"Well Santana, I can't believe you would make such a suggestion… I want at least another twenty minutes!" Her façade fell as soon as she said it and she placed a sloppy kiss on my lips to stop my protest.

"Bye girls… try and make it home before we go back to college…" It was definitely Mike's voice and I cringed at his comments. However, my embarrassment only grew worse as a chorus of goodbyes came from the rest of the group who were now crowded around our tent, making sarcastic comments like, 'don't' come out and say goodbye,' and 'we know you're _busy_ and probably warn out from what Quinn tells us."

To say I was mortified was an understatement. I hid my face into Britt, who was laughing at their comments and held my hands over my ears to I didn't have to listen anymore. After a few minutes, I felt Britt's hand on mine as she pealed my hands away from my ears.

"They're gone now, you can stop hiding." She was gentle with me but I could tell she was amused by my coyness.

"Sorry… stuff like that makes me cringe. Usually I would get all up in their grill and tell them where they can stick their mocking, but…" I stopped myself because I wasn't entirely sure why I hadn't done that on this occasion. Sure, I didn't know them all that well, but that hadn't exactly stopped me in the past when I felt as though I was being mocked.

"But?" She took a stray wisp of hair from my forehead and brushed it back off my face.

"But… for some reason I didn't want to. Um…" I knitted my eyebrows together, trying to work out exactly why I was acting so cute and sappy. It was definitely out of character.

"Oh my word. Have I managed to tame the mighty Santana wrath?" She looked victorious and although I knew she was right, I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of having it confirmed. I pinned her down and jokingly placed my hand over her mouth to stop her from talking. She automatically licked my palm and made me pull my hand away.

"I tamed you!" She was laughing so hard and I hoped that I never had to stop hearing her that amused and knowing that I had caused it.

"No you didn't! Look if you don't stop I'm going to get up now. No twenty-minute snuggle for you." I gave her my serious resolve face and she crumbled.

"Okay, okay, you win. You're not tamed. Now give me some snuggles." She grabbed my waist and pulled me flush against her and I got myself comfy in the nook of her neck.

"I'm timing…" I mumbled, pretending to check my imaginary watch.

"Shut up, you goofball." She patted my arm, in a mockingly chiding way and we settled into our last session of tent snuggles.

After about an hour of snuggles we finally decided to get up. It was such a chore to pack the tent away and I remembered why I had spent the first day hiding by the water so I didn't have to get involved. After we had packed up Brittany's car I felt all hot and sweaty, it was gross. That amount of manual labour, without any sexual reward, definitely wasn't worth all the hassle.

I climbed into the passenger seat and waited for Brittany to join me, but she didn't appear. I looked out the back window and saw her leaning against the car, looking out towards the site. I debated whether I should go out and check on her, maybe she wanted to be alone? After a few minutes of watching her, I couldn't wait anymore. I needed to make sure she was okay. I got out and walked around to where she was standing and leaned on the door next to her.

"What's going on Britt?"

She took a deep breath and leaned her head on my shoulder before answering.

"I was just taking a moment. This week has been a whirlwind, a good one, but I'm not sure I'm ready to go back and face the real world yet. You know?" She sounded scared and I wasn't sure how to handle her. This was a new side of Brittany for me, the uncertain and questioning Brittany that wasn't all happy-go-lucky and breezing through life as though nothing fazed her. I decided the best tact was to be honest.

"I know. Everything here seems so simple and when we get back it isn't going to be like that…" She took my hand, lacing out fingers together; which made me stop talking as my breathing hitched.

"It's as though we're in this cosy bubble, where nothing can hurt us, or effect us and as soon as I get in that car and drive us back to Lima that bubble is going to burst and we have to face the real world. So I want to take a moment so that I remember what this feeling is like before that happens."

I knew she was talking about us without actually having to say it. However, I didn't know how to reply. She probably wanted assurance that this wasn't the end for us and as much as I wanted to give her that it was like my voice was broken. My head wanted to say it but my mouth refused. I did want to be with her but she was right I really didn't know what was going to happen when we got back.

She gave my hand a squeeze and I realised she was looking at me.

"Come on, let's go." As she said it she moved away, and I suddenly found myself tugging her back towards me. I placed my hands on either side of her waist and pulled her into a kiss. If I couldn't make myself say it, I would show it. She kissed me back and it turned into the kind of romantic kiss you see in films. After it finished we both went in for a few pecks, savouring the taste of each other's lips.

"Now we can go." I uttered into her lips and she smiled softly at me but I could still see the worry and concern in her eyes.

We got into the car and she started to make light conversation, asking me about college and what my plans were for the next three weeks before I went back to New York. We talked about it quite casually but we both knew it was a way of broaching the subject of me leaving without having to talk about it directly.

"Are you staying in Ohio?" I asked Britt, realising I had no idea if she was even going to be around, which made me panic slightly. I didn't even know where her hometown was!

"Yeh… my folks live between Columbus and Lima, so I was going to head back there." She sounded uncertain; I hadn't even considered the fact that she wasn't going to be living in Lima.

"Oh right… what like a forty-five minute drive?" I was hoping it wasn't going to be anymore than that.

"More like an hour, but not too far."

The bubble was definitely starting to burst. I had gotten used to having her merely a stones-throw away from me at all times.

"But I come to Lima quite a lot because Quinn, Mike and Rachel all live around there. Mike and I are both Theatre majors, taking mostly dance classes, so we meet up to practice over breaks."

She kept her eyes fixed on the road, deliberately not taking any time away to check how I was taking the news, but to be honest, knowing that she didn't mind coming to Lima made me feel so relieved.

The rest of the journey went without too much of a hitch. We avoided any more loaded conversations; I think we both had had our fill of them for one confined car journey. However, once we got into Lima, I felt myself begin to panic, I didn't know when we were next going to see each other and it worried me but that she was disappearing back to her parent's home an hour away and I would never see her again!

"I want to take you on a date." I blurted it out and she finally took her eyes off of the road to look at me. I felt so small; worried that she was going to reject my offer even though that would be contrary to everything that had happened between us. It felt like with our location change all the rules changed too.

"Sure. How about tomorrow night?" My face beamed, it was settled and I knew just the place to take her.

I directed her to my house, which was only a ten-minute walk from Quinn's, so it wasn't too difficult to explain to her. When we got there I quickly leaned over and gave her a kiss before my Mom could appear again and ruin the moment.

"Thanks for the lift." I mused into her lips.

We both got out and started to unload my bags from the trunk when my Mom came running out towards the car, looking a bit flustered.

"Mom… woah slow down. What's going on?" I held her arm, frustrated that her panicked approach prevented me from introducing her to Brittany.

"Santana… now I don't want you to get mad."

That was never a good way to start a conversation.

"But he arrived this morning, with a bouquet of flowers begging me to let you speak to him." My Mom was talking so quickly that I could barely take the information in.

"Who are you talking about?"

"He is really sorry Santana and he still loves you. Everybody makes mistakes Mija, I think you should hear him out… he came all this way to get you back."

My blood ran cold; it hit me, I knew exactly who she was talking about. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Britt moving from foot to foot awkwardly, watching me as I slowly unravelled.

Then he appeared at the front door, looking as dashing as he always did and I felt sick. I never wanted to have to look at him again, he had hurt me so badly but when I saw him I couldn't stop the flood of feelings that came with it. At one point I had loved him and no matter how much he had hurt me now that fact could never be changed.

I froze. Everything went quiet and I felt like everybody's eyes were fixed on me.

"Mom, no, I don't want to see him." I said it quietly between gritted teeth but she insisted I start making my way towards the house, towards him.

"Come on Mija, thank your friend… sorry I didn't quite catch you name, for giving you a lift and come inside."

"Bye Santana." Brittany said it as she was closing her car door, and it forced me to run back and bang on the driver's car window. She sat with her eyes fixed front and I could see tears welling up.

"Britt, please."

She wound the window down and I saw her visibly trying to swallow her tears.

"I'll call you later." She placed her hand on top of mine briefly and then started her engine and drove away.

When Brittany's car pulled out there was no barrier between me and Cody. He was stood on the porch with a ridiculously huge bouquet of white roses, my favourite. Shit. I didn't want to go into the house. I didn't want to listen to him trying to persuade me that he still loved me, that he made a mistake. I was so angry at my Mom. She knew how much he had hurt me. But most of all, this felt so awful because I had hurt Brittany and I couldn't even explain it to her because she was gone. There couldn't have been a worse end to our week's romance than this.

"Mija, inside now. I've got your bags."

I slowly placed one foot in front of the other. Being sure not to make eye contact with Cody. When I got a metre away from him he held out the flowers for me but I scoffed at him and pushed past, which caused my Mom to chide me and apologise to Cody for my rudeness.

"I'm going to take a shower."

I ran upstairs and didn't look back but I could hear my Mom's footsteps on the stairs behind me. She followed me to my room and closed the door behind us. And then all the pent up anger and frustration erupted out of me.

"What are you doing letting that bastard into our house! You do remember what he did to me. I'm your daughter, you're suppose to protect me, not bring people into my home who have caused me so much pain I practically stopped functioning. You are unbelievable. Let me guess, he told you how sorry he was, did a little puppy dog face and showed you the beautiful flowers he got me. Well I'm sorry but that doesn't take away from the fact that he cheated on me with my best friend!" I paused to take a breath and my Mom jumped in before I had a changed to continue.

"I know he hurt you Santana. But I do believe that he is sorry. He flew from New York to Ohio to apologise. That has to mean something? I'm not saying jump back into his arms, I'm saying give him a chance. Everyone deserves a second chance, you should know Santana, so do it for me." She sat me down on the bed and kneeled in front of me, practically begging me to try it for her.

"I can't even look at him." I started crying and she pulled me into a hug.

"I know, but hear him out. He came all this way and you haven't moved on from him yet, have you?" She thought she already knew the answer to that question, considering I pretty much told her everything about my love life prior to Brittany, so she didn't wait for an answer and I wasn't brave enough to correct her. I would tell her, but I didn't want it to be like this, I needed more time to prepare.

"I booked breakstix for tonight. So have a shower, put on something classy and have dinner with him. That is all I'm asking. If afterwards you still want to eject him from your life then fine but please do this for me."

I nodded and she took the opportunity to leave the room and head back downstairs, where Cody was waiting.

Suddenly my phone vibrated on the bed, I took it and looked down at the screen. It was a number that I wasn't familiar with so I let it ring out and go to voicemail. Then it twigged who is could have been. I went back through my old messages and found Brittany's text message, compared the numbers and suddenly felt even more unwell. I let me thumb hover over the call button and was about to press it when my Mom called up the stairs, "Santana, I can't hear the shower running!" It snapped me out of the moment, instead of calling, what was I going to say if I did anyway, I switched my phone off and made my way to the shower. It was going to be a long and very uncomfortable night. I still couldn't believe that I was agreeing to it. Ten minutes ago I was having a sneaky kiss with Britt in her car; now I was getting ready to go on a _date_ with Cody. How things change.

The bubble had most definitely been burst.


	12. Chapter 12

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

**RIP Maurice Sendak**

**A/N: Thanks for the comments and alerts. I know some of you didn't like my last chapter, I hope you've decided to stick with the story despite that because it is Brittana endgame and I do like to add a bit of drama to my stories. Perhaps I shouldn't have ended the chapter where I did, because it did leave things a bit open to interpretation so hopefully this chapter will clear things up a little.**

**Chapter Twelve**

The scorching hot water ran down my body, and I scrubbed at my skin, desperate to remove as much guilt and anger as I possibly could. I was trying to keep my eyes open, even though the water made them blurry and the shampoo and body-wash made them sting because every time I closed them I saw Brittany smiling at me. I couldn't get her out of my mind, her beautiful blonde her, her gorgeous blue eyes and wide smile. My head was swimming in Brittany and I felt my pulse begin to race and my pulse quicken. I couldn't catch my breath and then I realised I had tears streaming down my cheeks. I wiped them away but they mixed with the water and it was useless. I placed my hands on the cold tiles in front of me and tried to steady my breathing. I used to get panic attacks like this after Cody and I had broken up, I had forgotten how painful and scary they really were. I felt completely overwhelmed and I was sure that at any moment my legs would give way and my chest would burst from the pressure.

Eventually, after what seemed like hours, I got a hold of myself and got out of the shower and dried myself off with a big fluffy towel. I gripped my arms about myself and closed my eyes, enjoying the comfort and imagining it was Britt's soothing arms embracing me and keeping me safe.

I went into my room and started looking through my wardrobe, looking at all my nice clothes and thinking about what I could wear. I pulled out a red dress that I had bought before I went camping but hadn't worn yet; I had wanted to save it for something special. I ran the material through my fingers, enjoying the silky sensation. I considered for a moment wearing it tonight but when I imagined myself in it, walking into Breadstix, it wasn't Cody on my arm it was Brittany. I wanted to wear this dress tomorrow night; I wanted to save it for the perfect date Brittany had agreed to go on with me. I wanted to wear this dress and see her jaw drop as I got out of the car and walked towards the entrance to meet her. I imagined how I would link my arm through hers, leading her to a romantic, candle lit table in a secluded corner, pulling her chair out for her to sit on and playing footsy with her under the table. I didn't want to be with Cody, it was suppose to be Brittany.

Before, I had time to think it through I grabbed my sweatpants from where they were dumped on my desk chair and a casual top. I pulled my wet hair into a messy ponytail and slipped my feet into my thongs. I left the room and was halfway down the stairs when turned and ran back upstairs, grabbing my phone and stuffing it into my pocket.

I got downstairs and two sets of eyes bored into me.

"I'm ready to go… but we're not going to Breadstix and you're giving those flowers to my Mom because she has shown you way more kindness than you could ever deserve."

"Mija…" I knew my mom had my best interest at heart but she was totally off the mark on this one.

"Mom, no. Please stay out of this. We'll talk, I promise."

I grabbed my car keys from the kitchen and no one spoke again, apparently in shock because of my assertiveness. When I made it to the front door I turned back and gave Cody a look that snapped him back into action. He took the flowers, gave them to my Mom who smiled appreciatively and ran to catch up with me. The door slammed behind us and we both got into my car. He looked unnerved, pressing his hands nervously between his legs and snapping his head between the dashboard and me.

"So where are we going?" He said with forced confidence, which was out of character for him.

"We're getting coffee." I said it very matter-of-factly. I knew I couldn't let my guard down; I didn't want to let him in.

"And then, I'm taking you to the airport." I put my foot down on the accelerator to make it through the lights in time, desperate to get this over with and back to my nice Cody-free holiday.

"But my flight doesn't leave until tomorrow!" He sounded quite pathetic and I started to wonder what the hell I ever saw in him.

'Not my problem."

He sat back in his chair and huffed like a spoilt child, angry for not getting his own way. He wasn't used to experiencing such a forceful Santana who didn't take his shit; when we were together I was such a pushover. He had made me into a push over and I'd lost my spark, all my fire. There was no way I was letting him take that back off of me again.

We pulled into the coffee shop parking lot and I swung into the space, causing him to grab hold of the door to support himself. He looked flustered and I realised that this really wasn't the Santana he was expecting to be greeted by.

I got out of the car, locked it when I heard his door slam and without even looking at him went inside, not caring if he was following or not. I found a quiet table in the corner and sat down and waited for him to catch up. He got to the table and was about to sit down opposite me but before he sat down I gave him my order and signalled with my head over towards the counter, making sure he knew that I would not be ordering, paying or carrying my own drink on this excursion. If he wanted to speak to me so desperately then he was going to be doing all the work. He walked off to the counter like a chastised schoolboy and I took the opportunity to take my phone out of my pocket and switch it back on. A message came through quickly and my heart stopped when I read it.

_What the fuck San? Britt called me crying her eyes out, talking about Cody? Please tell me she is lying… call me asap. Q x_

I kept starting to type and then having to stop and delete the message because it was almost impossible to explain what had happened and what I was doing in a text message. Instead of texting Quinn, I decided it was more of a priority to reassure Britt, I hoped it wasn't too late.

_Britt, please don't freak out. It's not what you think. I'll call you tonight and explain everything. I promise. San x_

I really hoped it would have the right impact, I hated thinking of Brittany crying, that my actions, however much they weren't under my control, had hurt her. I leaned my head back against the wall behind me, exhausted with frustration. I wanted more than anything to be back at the campsite with Brittany sitting between my legs, looking out at the water, talking rubbish, and me placing lazy kissed on her neck. God I missed her so much already.

"Here…" Cody placed my drink down and I snapped my head back off the wall and put my defences back up. I had softened merely thinking about Brittany, she made me soft and calm. Cody made me guarded and angry.

"So, want to tell me what this is all about?" I was using my best bitch voice, but hell, he deserved it.

"What do you mean?" He genuinely wasn't aware that his actions were out of the ordinary. He was really that arrogant, how could I forget.

"You cheated, broke my heart, and practically destroyed my life. Then when I am finally getting over you, you decide to fly down to my hometown, woo my mother and think that you're going to take me out on a date. That is what I mean."

"Santana, I made a mistake and now I want you back so I'd I thought you would think this was romantic."

"You're an ass."

"How did me making a grand romantic gesture make me an ass?

"No, the fact you cheated and then thought that a romantic gesture would be all that was needed to win me back makes you an ass. This isn't some romcom movie Cody! You don't get to walk back into my life, when I was starting to get on and be happy and stick a huge spanner in the works. I've moved on. I suggest you do the same."

"You've moved on?" He looked shocked and I felt put on the spot for the first time since we had been alone.

"That is none of your business." I returned, but he looked angry and I realised he wasn't going to let this one go without a fight.

"You're seeing someone else already?" He sounded cut-up even though he had no right to be and it made me feel a mixture of guilty and smug.

I couldn't tell him about Britt. There was no away I was going to give him the privilege of being one of the first people to know about whatever it was that Britt and I were. He didn't deserve that information and I didn't want to give him the ammunition. I could already imagine what his response would be. Something along the lines of me only needing a good fuck from a real man to make me realise what I was missing and that I'd come running back. Little did he know that the comparison between having sex with him and having sex with Britt was really no comparison. Brittany made my body hum in ways that no one else had ever managed to; having sex with Cody now would only reinforce how much better she was than him.

"I said, that is none of your fucking business. Who I sleep with ceased being your business when I caught you in bed with my best friend." I spat the words out at him and a few of the other customers turned to look at me.

"You couldn't have been that cut-up after we broke up if you're already sleeping with other people Santana. I never realised you were such a whore."

He smacked his hand down on the table and I saw the flash of anger I had seen in his eyes only once before. When we were first together, he'd taken me to a house party. I wasn't used to drinking so much as they did at college parties, so after some shots and mixers I started dancing quite freely and a guy took a liking to me and started to grind up against me. I was young and wasn't used to being in a relationship so I ground back into him, not thinking about what I was doing. Next thing Cody had hit the guy behind me, knocking him unconscious and grabbed my wrist, pulling me through the crowd and insisting that we left. Once we had got outside he grabbed me by both of my wrists and shouted into my face, sobering me up really quickly, telling me that I was never to humiliate him like that again. That I belonged to him. It was the first time I had ever really been scared of anyone I was dating and after that point I made sure that I never gave him reason so feel remotely jealous again. When I think about it now, I realise that I shouldn't have stayed with him, that it was not a normal reaction to have to a bit of dancing but I was naïve and blinded by how strongly I felt for him that I did as he said.

That was when I realised why he was really here. Why he had come to visit me. It wasn't that he particularly wanted me back, or that he cared about me. It was the same old story. Cody couldn't bear to think of me being with someone else. It didn't matter that he had moved on, that he had probably slept with other women, countless women I would expect, even whilst we were together. All that mattered to Cody was that _I belonged to him_.

"Don't talk to me like that." My voice was starting to get weak and I gripped the material of my seat, hoping that I wasn't about to get myself into a situation that I couldn't get out of. The fire in his eyes was making me get scared of what he might do. I really didn't want to be alone with him anymore.

"Do you really think you're ever going to find someone better than me? I am the boy that all the girls want, so stop being childish and admit that you want me back. That you are desperate to get your hands on this and that you have been waiting for me to take you back." He folded his arms and leant back on his chair.

The ridiculousness of his comment coupled with the fact that I was nervous made me laugh out loud.

His cheeks went pink with embarrassment and I saw his cockiness start to crumble and his anger make-up for the dent I had made in his pride.

"You think that you're the best I can do? You really have no idea what you're talking about." I retorted: Brittany at the forefront of my mind.

He sprung up from his chair, making it fall to the floor behind him with a crash and swiped his mug of coffee from the table, sending the hot liquid across the floor and making me recoil and lean back as far as I could.

"Don't you ever talk to me like that" He pointed his figure at me accusingly as he said it and was rounding the table towards me with a menacing look when I heard a familiar voice pipe up behind him.

"You don't want to do that." Mike was stood with his cell phone in his hand, held up showing the numbers _911_.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Mike's interruption caught Cody's attention and he turned back and started walking towards Mike who held up his phone again, indicating that he was going to call if he didn't stop.

"I think it's time for you to leave now." Mike stood his ground and I was impressed by his strength. By this point the staff members were all stood in a line behind him as back up and the majority of the customers were either staring at the spectacle or looking down at their drinks, trying to pretend there was nothing going on.

Cody looked around the place, replicating the body language of a caged animal trying to assess the best way out of the situation. He decided this wasn't the right time to carry on this fight, obviously not as stupid as I assumed.

He turned his attention back to me, once again pointing an accusing finger that made me want to grab it and snap it in half.

"This isn't over Santana." He really did watch too many actions films.

He pushed passed Mike, being sure to bump him with his shoulder and stormed out of the coffee shop.

With Cody gone I slumped into the chair and rested my head on the table, trying to ignore the hubbub of excitement now spreading through the place as people began to whisper with excitement at the events.

"Santana… do you want to get out of here?" Mike placed his hand on my shoulder, being cautious not to get too close and startle me.

"Please." I mumbled almost incoherently into my arms but Mike heard me and helped me up from my chair and towards the door. I kept my eyes locked on the floor, making sure I didn't make eye contact with anyone, which would only further my humiliation.

"Is he definitely gone?" I was worried that we would get outside and Cody would be waiting for me by my car.

"I saw him walk down the block. Come on, I'll take you in my car and you can get yours later on. You're not in a fit state to drive."

"Thank you." I looked up at Mike as we headed to his car, I don't know what I wouldn't have done if he hadn't appeared.

"Don't mention it." He escorted me to his car, opened the passenger door for me and signalled for me to climb inside.

He got in and started the engine.

"So, where to?"

I hadn't even got so far as to think of where I could go. I didn't want to face my Mom quite yet. I was still mad at her and I wasn't ready to explain myself and I hated lying.

"Can you drop me at Quinn's?" I couldn't think of where else to go. I knew she was going to be mad at me initially, but she was such an understanding friend, I wasn't concerned that she wouldn't be there for me.

The journey was very quiet and I was grateful that Mike didn't ask too many questions. I knew he must have been wondering what that had all been about but he seemed to respect my privacy enough not to pry. The last time he had spoken to me I was having extended snuggle time with Britt in a tent and the now I was having an argument with a random boy in a coffee shop. He must have been confused.

"Please don't tell Brittany about tonight." I swallowed hard and he took his eyes off the road for a second to look at me.

"I am going to tell her but I want her to hear it from me first."

He seemed to accept this reason and nodded.

"You need to tell her soon. Brittany is my friend and I can't keep something like this from her for long."

I understood his predicament and hated putting him in that position but I had to do it. I had to think of the welfare of Brittany and I and hope that he understood.

"I'll tell her tonight, I promise."

He nodded again and the conversation was closed. I really hoped I had the courage to keep my promise.

We arrived at Quinn's and I held my hand out to grab the door handle and noticed that my hand was shaking. I looked back to Mike and he saw it too but neither of us said anything.

"Thanks." I know I had already thanked him once but I needed to reiterate to him how much I appreciated not only his intervention but also for driving me to Quinn's, and most importantly agreeing to giving me a chance to speak to Britt before he did.

"You're welcome."

I walked up to Quinn's porch and before I could ring the buzzer Quinn had swung the door open and pulled me into a tight hug. I was shocked at the welcome but then not so surprised when she gave me a playful slap on the arm, asking what the hell I was doing.

"It's complicated." I replied. I felt tears welling up in my eyes and Quinn's pulled me inside and took me up to her bedroom, ignoring her Mom's hellos to me as we went. She sat me down on the bed and put herself opposite. It was our standard 'talking' position that we had done on numerous occasions throughout High School and it felt comforting. Quinn and I had sorted out so many of our problems on this bed, sat in this way and we were still friends and had always made it out the other side, no matter how dark it got. It gave me hope that this problem would have a positive outcome too.

"So…" She left the question open and I realised I had no choice but to explain to her exactly what had happened since she left the campsite until I showed up at her door. As I explained she looked flabbergasted, changing her facial expressions and placing her hand on her head dramatically every time I described something that had happened. Finally once I had explained everything she placed her hand on my knee reassuringly.

"You're staying here tonight. No arguments. Call your Mom and tell her she did a bad, bad thing." The childish way she said it made me laugh and I could just imagine my Mom's reaction if I had actually said that to her.

"I will. But I need to call Britt."

It was pushing ten o'clock and I was worried that it might have gotten too late to call. What if Britt had given up on me ringing and given up on us? I knew I was being dramatic but after what had happened today I wouldn't take anything for granted.

"Yeah you do. I don't want to make you feel any worse Santana but she was so distraught earlier. I have never heard her like that before… no pressure, but please make it better. I can't stand knowing she's that upset."

My palms got sweaty and suddenly I didn't think I could call her, even though all I wanted was to hear her voice.

I got my phone out and saw that she had replied to my message. Before reading it I looked up at Quinn and she got the message.

"I'll be waiting downstairs. Take as long as you need." She kissed the top of my head and left the room, closing the door behind her.

I took a moment to compose myself before reading her message but was relived what I saw an _x_ at the end, signalling that she can't have been too mad.

_I trust you Santana… please don't make me regret it. Talk later. B x_

As soon as I read it I hit the 'call' button before I could change my mind. Britt trusted me and I needed to make sure she knew that her trust hadn't been misplaced. She picked up after two rings, and I had visions of her sat with her phone next to her, waiting for me to call and it made my heart break.

_Hello_

She sounded uncertain and I ached at the hurt I had caused her.

"Hey Britt…"

I hadn't thought past the 'hello' part of the conversation and the line went quiet for a few seconds until she couldn't stand the silence any longer.

_You ok?_

"I'm better now I'm taking to you."

I heard her sigh down the phone and my stomach tingled knowing she wasn't so mad that she couldn't take a compliment.

_Good. I feel better for hearing your voice too_.

"Britt… earlier today with my mom and Cody… I didn't know he was going to be there."

_I know you didn't. I just didn't know what to do so I thought it was best for me to leave. But once I left I felt sick and hurt and all kinds of emotions and I wished I'd not left._

"You were in an impossible situation. I am so sorry that you had to be involved with it."

_Are you still with him now?_

"No, I think he's gone."

_You think?_

Her voice got an edge to it and I realised I wasn't explaining the situation very well. She needed to know the full story.

"Well he kind of left, we were having coffee because…"

_You went for coffee with him?_

She sounded hurt and I fumbled over my words. I wanted to tell her everything but she wasn't giving me a chance to explain because I was saying everything wrong and making her upset.

"Britt, can I start again, from the beginning. Please? I am saying all of this wrong."

_Okay… I won't say anything, you tell me what happened._

She was so understanding: the previous edge in her voice had disappeared and she was back to the patient Brittany I longed for. I told her what happened, trying my best not to elaborate or miss out details in case later on she found out differently from somewhere else and thought I was lying to her.

When I finished the line went quiet and I was terrified what her reaction was going to be. It was a lot of information and I would have given anything to be sitting with her face to face so that I could see how she was taking it. However, the coward in me was glad that I wasn't with her so I couldn't see the disappointment.

_Okay_

Was all she said. I waited for more but nothing followed and I began to get nervous.

"Are we good?" I said it tentatively, hoping that it might push her into saying something more so I could gauge her response.

_San, that is a lot to process. I need to think. Don't be mad at me, please let me think about it._

I wanted so badly for her to tell me that everything was going to be all right. That she wasn't mad and that none of this was my fault but I knew that was unrealistic and that it wasn't fair on Brittany to expect it.

"Sure. I understand."

The line went horribly quiet again and I knew it was up to me to make things better. I knew that I even though I had a rough time today, Britt was the real victim in all of this. She was completely innocent and hadn't asked for any of this to happen to her.

"I miss you already…"

_I miss you too_

She said it a split second after I did and it was enough to reassure me. I hadn't completely lost her. Now all I could do was give her space and let her think about things.

"Can I still see you tomorrow night?" It was a loaded question but I needed something to look forward to.

_I'm coming to Lima tomorrow for a dance rehearsal with Mike, so can I let you know after that if I feel up to it?_

"Of course." I ached knowing she was going to be so close by tomorrow and I might not get the opportunity to see her. I had to see her.

_San, I'm going to go now. I need to clear my head and get some sleep._

I didn't want her to go. I wanted everything to go back to how it had been a few hours before, when we had been flirting and talking about any crap that popped into our heads. Talking with her had been so free and easy and now it was stilted and awkward. It made me feel sick.

"I understand. Night Britt. Sleep well."

_Night_

She said it so softly and I was sure I could hear tears in her voice. I wished I could drive to her and wrap her up in my arms. Keeping her safe and letting her drift off to sleep without a care in world.

The line went dead and I sat on the bed with my head in hands crying until Quinn finally came upstairs to check on me. She didn't say anything, she just lay back on the bed and pulled me into her body and let me cry.

"She'll come round Santana. Just give her the time and space she needs. She is mad about you, don't worry."

I didn't know if Quinn was right or not, but it was definitely what I needed to hear and what I needed to believe. Now that the threat of losing Britt was real, it made me realise how much I needed her, how much I wanted her and that nobody else would do. It had hit me the hardest when I had been in the coffee shop with Cody and he was telling me that I would never find anyone better than him. When truth be told I had already found someone better. Someone who made my heart sing, who I could never imagine being afraid of and who I would travel across the country to see, not because I wanted to prove to her that she couldn't cope without me like Cody had done to see me, but because I couldn't live without seeing her.

Once I had settled and the crying had ceased Quinn rolled off the bed and grabbed me some pyjamas to change in to and got changed herself. We both got settled on our sides of the bed and I got my phone out one last time before I fell asleep. Firstly texting my Mom to tell her that I was staying at Quinn's, that we'd talk in the morning about Cody and not to let him in under any circumstances.

The other to Britt simply saying:

_Sleeping without you isn't the same. I know it is silly but I really do miss you, especially at night. If you can see me tomorrow, please see me. Sweet dreams x_


	13. Chapter 13

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

**RIP Maurice Sendak**

**A/N: As always, thanks for your comments and alerts. The positive inspire me to write more and the critical motivate me to write better.**

**Chapter Thirteen**

When I awoke the next day, Quinn was gone. I looked over at her clock, it was 10am and the house was so quiet. I rolled out of bed and found a post-it note stuck to the mirror with Quinn's rushed handwriting scrawled across it.

_Gone out with Mom and Beth. Call Britt back (look at your phone if you've not already) and I will see you soon. Don't worry about getting coffee today x_

I panicked and ran back to my bed to get my phone to see what Quinn was talking about. Five missed calls! Why the hell didn't she wake me up.

There was a message from Quinn on there too.

_Don't get mad that I didn't wake you up… I tried several times and in the end I had to leave. Sorry x_

She had tried to wake me up. Right, obviously not hard enough. She should have jumped on me and made sure I woke up! Useless.

I called Brittany's number, whispering under my breath _pick up pick up_ over and over again as the ringing tone went on. I was about to hang up when the ringing cut out and I heard Brittany's out of breathe voice coming through the speaker.

_Santana… are you there?_

"Hi, hi yes I'm here. Sorry I missed your calls, been um…"

_Asleep?_

"Yes"

_Its ok Quinn called me back and told me and I asked her not to wake you. You had a heavy day yesterday; you obviously needed the rest._

Brittany sounded a lot brighter today; less apprehensive and more like herself.

"I'm still sorry I missed your call. I wish she'd made me get up."

_San, it's fine. Stop beating yourself up, it's not important. Look…_

She paused and I was nervous about what was coming next.

_I'm sorry about yesterday. I was confused and I didn't know what was going on… I was mad at you because you ignored my call and then switched your cell off, then I thought all night that you were avoiding me and had decided that you really liked men again and I know that was wrong and unfair of me, but I can't help the way that my brain works. I am usually optimistic but as I've told you before, I still can't really believe that I found you and when I'm uncertain I assume the worse as a defence mechanism. I'm working on it, I promise. Then when you finally called me, you unload all that information in one go that I wasn't expecting. I had no idea that was what had happened and it took me off guard and I didn't handle it very well. I know I should have done better, but… I did what I did and now I only hope that we can make things better. San, I want to see you tonight more than anything…_

She had said the monologue all in one breath and as she got to the sentence she ran our of air and her voice trailed off; giving it a sense of uncertainty.

"Brittany. I think we've both messed up over the past twelve hours. Thank you for being honest, but I'm not mad at you. I don't think I would ever be able to be mad at you. I am so confused about everything that is going on, but the one thing I am not confused about and if anything the last twelve hours has confirmed for me, is that I don't want to lose you. I need to see you so badly."

We both went quiet for a moment, taking the time to process what the other had said. I needed to move the conversation on. I didn't want to get stuck in the rut of going over the past again and again.

"So, Breadstix at 6 tonight?"

_Thank God San. I really thought I was going to lose you. I shouldn't have said I needed to think about it, I knew that I wanted to see you, but… I don't know. I guess I was being a bit of a bitch. Six is perfect… too far away because I want to see you now but I'll cope. Dancing this afternoon is going to drag…_

We both took a deep breath and sighed at the same time, both thinking that it was way too long a wait. The synchronisation made us both giggle.

"See you tonight Britt." I said it sincerely; feeling like hearing both of us laugh had lightened the atmosphere a little.

_Yeh… bye._

I hung up and held my cell to my chest, hugging it as though it was Brittany. I knew the evening wasn't going to be as simple as the cute romantic date that I had been hoping for, but it was happening. I hadn't lost Brittany. All the drama hadn't scared her away.

Now all I had to do was talk to my mom… which wasn't going to be an easy feat. I hadn't decided exactly what I was going to tell her. As much as I would have loved to have walked into the living room, sat her down and said I'd met the most amazingly beautiful woman in the world whilst I was camping and we were going on a date that evening, and not have her bat an eyelid about the fact it was a girl, that was not realistic. There was no chance of her accepting the fact I was going on a date with someone that happened to be a girl and treating it the same was as if I had come home and said I'd met a boy. My mom was accepting and in the long run I was sure she would be fine with it, but it was going to take a lot of awkward conversations and question asking that I quite simply didn't have the answers to. For instance, I was sure she would ask how long I'd liked girls; when I realised I was a lesbian; was it phase; was I still going to have kids? I didn't have a clue how to answer any of those questions. This was as new me to as it was going to be for her. All I knew is that I had feelings for Brittany. Not girls plural, just Brittany. It was not a concept that many people would be able to understand without asking questions. I had been boy-mad since High School and now I was girl-mad, it didn't even make that much sense in my head. It didn't make any sense until I pictured Brittany and then everything slid into place and it was completely logical, completely normal. The only problem being that not everyone else lived in my head.

I put my clothes back on from the night before and called a cab to drive me to the coffee shop where I'd left my car. I had to take some cash out of Quinn's top draw because I'd left my purse at home, I'd pay her back later on. Outside my house, I sat on the driveway for twenty minutes, hands gripped to the wheel, trying to build up the courage to go inside and face my mom. However, my wait was over when she came out of the house and knocked on my car window. I opened it and the way she was standing with her hands and her hips, looking at me expectantly, I realised exactly where I got my own attitude-filled body language from, I could have been looking at myself.

"Were you planning on coming inside, or were you waiting for me to send a formal invitation?"

"Mom…"

"Don't_ mom_ me. I have been worried-sick all night. Now get out of the car and get inside and face me. I know I've done something wrong and I feel terrible, so stop torturing me and talk to me like an adult Santana. I can't help or sort this out unless you tell me what is going on. Out the car. Now." She turned on her heal and walked back into the house, I knew she was right. I had to talk to her and we needed to sort this out. My mom was my biggest ally and without her support everything was always so much harder to manage. She wasn't perfect, she had put me in such a difficult position but I had to believe that her intentions were right. I had to try and see this from her perspective. She thought that making me reconsider my relationship with Cody was the right thing for me to do. She didn't know what he was like and she definitely had no idea that I had fallen for someone else. I know she shouldn't have got involved, but Cody hadn't given her much choice and I hadn't had the chance to tell her the truth. Now was my chance but I still wasn't sure I was ready to take it.

We sat down in the living room, and I knew a long talk was about to ensue. Personally, I had done enough talking for a lifetime; I could quite easy have given this one a miss. I wanted everything to go back to how it had been, I wished I could turn back the clock and be in the car with Brittany again. That I could have sneaked a kiss from her before my mom walked outside and that Cody hadn't been waiting for us when we arrived. That he had stayed in New York and not spoilt what had been the best week of my life. But, the truth was that it had happened and now I had to face up to it and deal with the consequences of his actions, whilst he swanned off back to New York without having to deal with any of the aftermath. It made me hate him even more than I did already.

"Santana, we have always been honest with one another. Now I am asking you to be completely honest with me today. I know there is more going on than meets the eye. I am not stupid and you know that, so come on. Spill it to me. First you're catching taxi-cabs back from holidays and I'm having to trick you by driving you back again and now this. I want to help you, I have always wanted to help you and ensure your happiness, but I fear I have only made things worse."

My mom's voice had a tremor to it and her bottom lip began to shake. I hated it when my mom cried, and I hated it even more when she was crying because of something to do with me. It made me feel guilty, even though it wasn't my fault, I felt like it was.

"I know you were trying to help me, and you're right, it didn't help but that's not the point. You tried and I love you for that. You're always trying to help me."

I took her hand and held it firmly in my own until her tears began to subside and she was able to continue talking.

"What is going on Santana?"

I took a deep breath, still unsure of how deep I was willing to let this conversation get. I knew that I needed to talk to someone about my feelings for Brittany and maybe my mom could help me work them out, but I wasn't sure I wanted to. I wanted to tell her once I was surer, once I understood them myself a little better so I could field her questions and her concerns.

"Cody is a pig. He was always a pig but I didn't realise it until now. I mean properly realise it. I know I said I hated him because he cheated on me but I'm not sure that I really believed it until this week. If he had showed up at the house a week ago and you had done what you did yesterday, I would have probably gone on that date with him, I probably would have considered taking him back, but things have changed. I've changed and you weren't to know that. But he is a bastard mom, sorry for the bad language but there really is no other word for him, and I am so glad that he has gone and I honestly hope that I never have to see his snivelling and conniving face again."

"What happened?"

"Huh?"

"What happened in the last week that made you realise? Something changed your mind."

I was thrown by her question, I realised that I had left myself wide open to admitting the truth.

"Well, you know, just lots of thinking and being out in all that fresh air." I was fumbling over my words. However, it didn't matter what I said because my mom wasn't listening anyway, I could see the cogs turning in her head as she began to work it out.

"Is it to do with why you came home early?" She wasn't really asking me the question, just musing out-loud, trying to make all the relevant connections.

"It's not _what_ made you change your mind, it's _who_ changed it. Isn't it?" This time she did expect an answer. I froze, staring back at her and feeling my heart beat so strongly in my chest that I was sure it was about to leap out of my ribcage and break through my skin.

"I'll take that as a yes. And you didn't tell me about this _who_ because…"

I looked down at my hands; I didn't have the courage to tell her. I thought I did but I really couldn't bring myself to say it out loud. I knew I was a wimp; that I should have been proud of Britt, but it wasn't that simple. Yes, I wanted to be with her but I also didn't want to let my mom down. And I couldn't help but think I was letting her down. Damn internalised homophobia. Also, I was scared that if I told her she would ban me from seeing Brittany. That if she freaked out she would stop me from seeing her, and I couldn't stand the thought of that: I had to see Brittany tonight, I had to talk things through with her. For that reason I kept my lips tightly sealed and kept looking down at the sofa.

Mom placed her hand under my chin and brought my head up so that I had to look into her eyes.

"I don't know why you're not telling me Mija, but when you're ready to I'll be here waiting, as always. You should never be ashamed of someone you love, it doesn't matter who they are." She let go of my chin and walked away.

She was right, I should have been proud of Britt, I should have told her right away, should have said something when I came back early from camp. If Britt had been a guy I would have told her then, why was I making this into a big issue. I felt as though I was underestimating my mom by thinking that she wouldn't understand, that she wouldn't be fine with it, but once again the moment to tell her passed, and she had already started to make her way up the stairs.

I sat for ages; in the same position that my mom had left me in. I felt like shit. After a while I knew I had to move, I had to do something that wasn't me wallowing in self-pity. There was only one thing for it. I found the _Monsters Inc._ DVD and curled up on the sofa, hoping that it would make me feel better. I didn't want to think anymore. My brain was exhausted and I needed to numb it.

The movie did its job, nothing like a bit of escapism and as credits began to roll my phone buzzed in my pocket, indicating that I had a message.

_Can I pick you up tonight? Like a proper date? x_

My heart fluttered, yes things may not have been perfect but Britt was trying her hardest to make things right, to make things as normal as they could be and I appreciated it so much. I may not have told my mom, I may have felt like crap and felt exhausted from everything that had happened, but there was no way in hell I was going to let tonight's date be a disaster. This was our chance to make things better, to patch things up and I was desperate to take it. I replied:

_Please x_

I had two hours to get ready, and I planned on making sure I did everything perfect. I wanted to paint my nails, wash, blow-dry and straighten my hair. Everything that needed doing I wanted to do. I wanted to show Brittany that she was worth the effort. I wanted her mouth to drop open when she saw me and her not be able to take her eyes of me all night. There were parts of the date this evening that I wasn't going to be able to control, I didn't know how we were going to be around each other, or the difficult conversations we might need to have, but the one thing I could control was looking gorgeous. I loved the way Brittany's eyes roamed over my body and the way that I could read exactly how much she wanted me in even the briefest of glances, it made me feel incredible.

I left my room, feeling stunning. It had been worth the wait to wear my new dress for this evening's date. Despite knowing I looked amazing, I had knots of worry in my tummy and I could feel that my shoulders were tense and hunched with apprehension. I had wanted to see Brittany so badly that I had blocked the issues that we were actually going to have to discuss this evening. I knew that I should have been mad at her for being defensive and needing to 'think' last night when I'd told her the details of what had happened. None of this had been my fault, but despite knowing that I couldn't help but feel responsible and she had reinforced that feeling with her reaction to what I had told her. I know that Britt apologised, said she wanted to make it up to me, that she freaked out, but if she was freaking out now, over something like that, did it really hold much confidence for our relationship going forward? There was no way that it was going to be a simple relationship. I was going to be living miles away in a matter of weeks, what happened when I missed a call, or bumped into Cody somewhere on campus? Was she going to freak out again? My head got dizzy with all the thoughts and my previous decision to let Britt and I have a nice romantic evening, free of drama, was slowly beginning to slip away. We were going to need to talk this out, but did it need to be done tonight? Did I want to get pulled into her again, fall for her again and then get doubly hurt when the whole fragile relationship that we had crumbled around us? I had to grip hold of the banister of the staircase to keep myself balanced. Tonight was unlikely to be a simple, romantic date, but still, despite the fact that I was dreading what might happen, the pull to see Brittany was far too strong to back out and not go.

I was halfway down the stairs when the doorbell sounded and I heard my mom shuffle across the carpet from the kitchen to the front door. I had wanted to open the door myself, I wanted to get to take in the beautiful image of Britt as she was framed in the doorway, but with my high-healed shoes and my muddled head I couldn't get down the stairs quick enough to reach the door before my mom.

"Oh hello, um…" Mom had been in too much of a hurry the day before to catch Brittany's name and I knew she would be embarrassed now, she hated not being able to greet people politely when they came over to our house.

"Brittany" she said it with confidence and as I reached the bottom step I could see her hand was out-stretched and mom took it, introducing herself as Mrs Lopez. She always insisted my friends called her Mrs Lopez, it was one of her quirks.

"Well come inside dear. Santana is…" Mom turned around caught sight of me standing still at the base of the stairs, "right here."

Brittany and I both froze when we finally came into each other's line of view. She was truly gorgeous. I had never had sometime literally take my breath away until that point. She had her hair in soft loose curls, framing her face, which contained her glistening blue eyes and perfect smile. She was wearing tailored high-waist black pants, with a white shirt tucked in and the buttons undone, stopping so that you could see the top of her bra underneath. She looked classically beautiful, her outfit was so simple and androgynous, which due to her slight and toned figure showed off how naturally stunning her body was. When I finally got a hold of myself I noticed that my own jaw had gone slack and I was staring at her. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but my mom was looking between the two of us, attempting to figure out exactly what was going on.

"Are you girls going somewhere nice?" I heard her voice, but I couldn't peal my eyes away from Brittany, so I nodded and made long strides towards the front door so that we could escape as quickly as possible.

"Yes, Breadstix for dinner… with the gang from camping. Lots of us are going." I could feel Brittany looking at me, disappointment spread across her face, but I had said it without thinking. I wasn't ashamed of Britt, how could I be ashamed of her! It was because I knew that I had given away far too much away already. My mom was suspicious, I could tell from her tone, it was the tone she used when I used to come in from High School after having a few sneaky smokes and she could tell I had been up to something I shouldn't have been. I did want to tell my mom, but I wanted to tell her on my own terms and in my own time.

I slammed the door behind us and speed-walked to the passenger side of Brittany's car. She was looking down at the ground and dragging her feet along. I knew why, but I wanted to have the conversation about me lying in the car, where my mom wasn't able to eavesdrop, so I kept my nerve and waited for her to unlock and door and get inside.

Once inside she broached the subject straight away.

"Do you often lie to you mom like that?" If anyone else had said it, it would have sounded like an accusation, but Brittany said in such a way that I felt compelled to answer honestly, without feeling as though she was attacking me.

"I hardly ever lie to my mom… well since High School I have never really lied to my mom… until this week anyway." I was picking at the skin around my nails and I prayed for Britt to drop the subject and start driving. This was not the best start to the evening.

"I'm the reason you have to lie to her this week?" She sounded so hurt and I wanted to take it back, tell her that I lied to my mom all the time, that it had nothing to do with her, but it was too late, the damage was done.

"Britt, no. You are not the reason. I am the reason I lie to her."

"Do you think you'd ever be able to tell her the truth? Like, she would accept you if you were in a relationship with a woman?"

We both knew Britt wasn't talking about _women_ generally and I saw it as my window to make things better. To justify myself and explain to her that I did see it as a possibility in the future, that I did think she would accept Brittany.

"Definitely. If I was with someone who she could see that I cared about so deeply and…" I hovered over the next word before saying it and I am sure Brittany picked up on it, "loved, she would accept them regardless of who they were."

I looked at Britt to see her reaction, see if that was enough for her and that she believed me.

"I think you're right. I'm glad that you can see it, that you can imagine that kind of honesty with her in the future."

She smiled and it caused me to smile too. I found my eyes transfixed on her lips and I wished that I could lean over and place a gentle peck on them. However, the timing wasn't quite right, I wondered if it ever would be again. There was still so much tension between us and so much was being left unsaid.

She parked up at the restaurant and I went to open the car door, but after she pulled the key out of the ignition she didn't move to get out. Instead she dropped her hands into her lap and turned to face me.

"I know it is selfish of me, but I had this whole scenario planned out in my head for when I picked you up tonight. I thought you would open the door, and I would get to see you and be blown away with how stunning you are, which I was by the way, that bit did happen. Then I was going to hold out my hand for you to take and press a chaste kiss on your cheek, whispering "Good Evening Santana" into your ear afterwards. I wanted to lead you to my car, open the door and help you get inside and close the door behind you. I had plans and then they all fell apart and not only that, you acted like you were ashamed of me. You lied to your mom about the fact that we were going to dinner alone when you didn't really need to say anything and I…" she was starting to get emotional and the effects of the day before really started to show through. I hadn't realised how sensitive she really was. When we were camping she seemed so bold and confident and now she was showing me her vulnerable side. The side that planned out cute scenarios and was upset when they didn't work out.

"Brittany, I didn't know…" I felt bad but what option had I had? I didn't know what she was planning, I was too concerned with the fact that my mom had caught me gawking at the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.

"No Santana, don't be sorry. It is not your fault. This is my fault for being sulky, I know I am being unreasonable and I am expecting too much and blaming you for things that aren't your fault but I can't help it. I am trying but I wanted things to be perfect, to carry on as they had been when we were at the campsite. Okay I know that wasn't totally perfect either, but I am so scared I'm going to lose you. I know I am being way too intense and I know that saying these things are even more likely to scare you off but I am trying to explain myself and help you to understand why I do and say the things I do."

She took in and let out a deep breath and held her hands up to her face, hiding herself away from me.

"Britt…" She didn't respond, so I had to hold onto her wrist and pull her right hand away from her face to get her to look at me. Eventually it worked.

"You haven't been the most low maintenance person I have ever dated… and yes there have been times when I have questioned what we're doing and whether it is going to work." She squeezed her eyes shut as I said that, showing that merely hearing the words pained her.

"But…" I brushed my hand across her wrist and didn't continue until her eyes fluttered open again and she looked back over at me.

"But, I am here now. I want to see where we can take this, I am not saying I have all the answers, and I am not saying it is going to be easy, or that we will find a way to make it work out, but I am willing to try. All I ask is that you're patient with me and that you trust me. So far I haven't done anything to make you not trust me, have I?"

She shook her head and tilted it sideways so that she was leaning her head on her hand and looking straight at me.

"Do you think you could try too? That we can try and make this work between us?"

"Yes"

She said it as barely a whisper and I leaned into her so that our faces were only centimetres apart.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that Britt Britt."

She laughed and said it again louder, a smile finally setting across her face and the signs of worry were started to edge away.

"I'm going to kiss you now…"

Before I had a chance to lean into her, she had pressed her lips against mine. Giving us both what we had been waiting for since we had seen each other earlier that evening. It was a soft kiss, a romantic kiss, and afterwards I pressed our foreheads together and rubbed my nose against hers.

"Let's get some dinner." I mumbled into her lips.

"Not yet" she replied and I felt my forehead crease against hers in confusion, but that was short lived as she placed three quick pecks on my lips.

"Okay, now we can go."


	14. Chapter 14

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

**RIP Maurice Sendak**

**A/N: As always, thanks for your comments and alerts. The positive inspire me to write more and the critical motivate me to write better.**

**Chapter Fourteen**

Breadstix was really busy. It was filled with other couples and groups of friends. It made me nervous; it felt as though everyone's eyes were on us. As soon as someone's eye caught mine I glared back at them and felt my heart race. I knew that it was ridiculous, there was no way that people would look at us and assume we were on a date but I couldn't stop myself from thinking it.

"Santana… are you okay?"

Brittany had placed her menu flat on the table in front of her and rested her hands gently on top of it, clasping her fingers together and trying to peer over the menu I had held up in front of me.

"Yeh, I'm good."

I carried on looking around me, daring someone to give us one of those _looks_.

"Are you sure? Because you've had the menu held up in front of you for the past ten minutes and I'm yet to see you actually look at it…"

She took a deep breath and placed her hand on the top edge of my menu and flattened it onto the table.

"Santana… you seem really distracted, is there something wrong?"

Finally I focused on her and I realised that the concern that I had heard in her voice was also written all over her face.

"Sorry, I'm just… look this whole public thing is new and it feels a little like we're on show." I was trying to be as honest with her as possible, but I kind of regretted it when I saw her face fall.

"I see. Well, nobody is going to guess anything Santana. We're just two girls out at dinner together. You must have done it hundreds of times with your female friends right? Did you ever feel weird then?" I could hear the sadness in her voice but I decided not to delve deeper yet.

"I know. It's because I know that we're more than two female friends having a platonic dinner." I edged my hands towards hers stopping only inches away from her fingers.

"But they don't know that… but they do know that you're acting weird and starring at them. Which is only going to make them stare more and wonder what it is you're trying to hide." She closed the gap a little further and I was torn between wanting our fingers to touch for the comfort and not wanting them to touch because I was paranoid enough already.

"I know." She had paused her movements a centimetre away and she was about to reach out her index finger to brush against mine when the waitress appeared in my peripheral vision and caused me to jump back in my seat and press my hands between my thighs to secure them there.

"What can I get you girls?"

Brittany didn't look up at the waitress, she was too busy focusing her attention on me, waiting for an explanation as to why I moved.

"Umm…" I looked between Britt and the waitress, my head pulsing as the silence dragged on.

"I'll come back." She turned away and headed to the table next to us.

"Are you really that worried about people finding out?" She placed her hands flat on the table and was invading into my half of the table. So much so that I was starting to feel cornered. I pressed my back into the seat. I needed some distance to arrange my thoughts before I let her get close me to again.

"Yes" I almost whispered it and I saw her look down at the menu in front of her for a second before she retracted her hands and placed them out of sight under the table.

"Okay."

There was an awkward moment, where I studied Brittany's face. She was looking down at the menu but I could tell she wasn't actually reading it. She was processing the situation.

"What are you going to have?" She suddenly perked up and waited for my response, it was like she had flipped a switch. However, I still felt so guilty for rejecting her that I couldn't cope with the change of conversation topic to reply quickly enough.

"I think I'm going to order the… um… shrimp to start and then some seafood pasta for main. I love seafood. Yum. Do you always get the same thing?"

She was trying to carry on as though nothing had happened and I respected her so much for it, but I didn't want to leave it like that, without being able to make sure she wasn't mad at me. That she wasn't going to bring it up again later on and cause us to have another argument.

"Britt, I'm so sorry. I want to, really I do; but I'm not ready and I'm so scared of what people will think!" I said it in an urgent whisper so that the couple on the table next to us couldn't hear.

"I know. I'm not going to push you into anything your uncomfortable with. I wish I could hold your hands across the table and talk all romantically, but if you can't do that then I respect that. I want to spend time with you. I love spending time with you, so, what are you going to order?"

I could feel my eyes starting to burn. I wanted all of those things too; I only wished that I could be as brave as Brittany. I wished that I didn't care and that I could show all the affection for Britt that I wanted to, that I was dying to, but there was this barrier stopping me that I couldn't quite pull myself over.

"I usually get garlic bread to start and spaghetti bolognaise for main." My burning eyes got worse and I could feel tears running down my cheeks. I wiped them away quickly with my thumps and continued to pretend I was perusing the menu so that I didn't have to look at Brittany.

"Santana… please look at me." She was pleading with me. It took me a few seconds but eventually I was able to look up at her. She looked so concerned and I could tell she was itching to comfort me, but was somehow managing to stay on her side of the booth.

"Really I'm fine. I'm being silly." I wiped the remaining tears from my cheeks and grabbed my bag from the seat next to me.

"Do you want to go?"

"No. Hundred-times no. Will you order me an iced-tea and my food? I need to freshen up in the restroom. I'll be back in a moment."

"Sure." She sounded uncertain but let me get up.

"I promise that I'm coming back."

She let out a small laugh, "Okay, you better."

The tension broke a little with her laughter and I gave her a reassuring smile before heading towards the restroom. I held my head up high and walked quickly, making sure I didn't look towards anybody as I went.

I locked myself into a stall and sat down on the toilet. I didn't actually need a pee but I did need a time out in a place that nobody could interrupt me. I got my phone out of my bag and there was a message from Quinn.

_Enjoy your date! Britt was texting me about it all afternoon to get feedback on what she should wear. I'm pretty sure Mike's house is full of her outfits – she's hilarious. Anyway, enjoy the romance xxx_

I felt sick as I read it. Quinn was right, I should have been enjoying it and I was so excited about it after Britt and I had talked in the car, but now everything was awkward and I was hiding out in a restroom before we had even ordered. I needed to pull myself together. Britt was gorgeous, funny, intelligent, and if I didn't get my act together I was going to lose her. I had no reason to be afraid. I needed to grow a pair of metaphorical balls and get with it. Brittany deserved romance and handholding and a romantic post dinner kiss. She's already missed out on getting that when she had picked me up and now here I was denying it from her again. I didn't even live in Lima anymore, she was the one that lived near here and had her reputation to think about and she didn't care. She wanted to show me off, she wanted people to know that we were together.

I wiped my eyes and cheeks with some toilet tissue and unlocked the stall so that I could freshen myself up in the mirror above the sink. It was time to get romantic.

I walked out of the restroom and made a beeline for our table, making sure I didn't look at anyone else. Tonight it was just Britt and I.

However, when I got to the table it was empty and the table had been reset. I looked around, my eyes wide with fright and when the waitress approached me I knew she was going to tell me that Brittany had left.

"Excuse me dear." She held my elbow and I nodded to her in reply, I was worried that if I spoke my eyes would start to water again. "Your _friend_" she said the word with caution, "asked if you could move to the corner." She pointed out towards a small two-seated table in the far back right of the restaurant. Brittany gave me a cute little wave. I noticed that she was even facing outwards to the restaurant, which meant that I could sit with my back to everyone. I wouldn't be able to see if people were looking and no one would know it was me. I felt awash with relief.

"Thanks." I said it to the waitress but by that point I was already halfway towards our new table. We were so out of the way, you would barely even notice we were there at all.

"Hey" Britt stood up, walked towards me and kissed my cheek. Before she pulled away she whispered in my ear, "we're starting this again." I held her closer to me. She really was amazing and showed how understanding she was willing to be so that we could give _us_ a real shot.

"You look beautiful."

I flushed at her words and sat down, watching her walk around to her side of the table; being sure to take in the gorgeous contours of her body before she sat down and they were hidden.

"Thank you." I mimed the words and she winked at me, handing me a menu before looking down at her own.

"I think I'm going to have the shrimp and the seafood pasta… with a sparkling water."

We started the date all over again, repeating our orders from before, but I felt a thousand-times more comfortable in her company. The conversation flowed and we shared information that we hadn't managed to talk about yet. Like about our childhoods, our pets, where we saw ourselves in ten years time. She was so graceful when she spoke that it made my heart flutter with excitement. I had never felt so woozy on a date before.

There was a natural break in the conversation and we both took a sip from our drinks, looking at each other over the glasses, which reminded me of when we both drank our coffees in her tent when we were camping. Her eyes were sparking and her cheeks were glowing red like the conversation and the environment was making her flushed. I placed my glass down first, and she mirrored me, we had locked eyes and I kept my had fixed on the glass where it was and even though I could see her finger reaching towards mine this time I didn't flinch or move away. I watched it in slow motion and I could tell she was testing the waters to see if I was going to freak out by taking her time and making sure I knew it was happening before she made contact. He index finger brushed the back of my hand and I closed my eyes and sighed at the contact. It was such a small thing, so minute is terms of how we had touched before, but for me it was a huge step. I felt the barrier begin to lower. After a few strokes she moved her hand away and straightened her cutlery, obviously needing something to do with her hands that wasn't touching me. I glanced over my left shoulder to see if anyone was looking, but I realised that they were all too wrapped up in their own conversation to even notice.

When I looked back to our table, Brittany was grinning at me like the Cheshire cat. She was bubbling over with wanting to say something but somehow she managed to keep in inside. Neither of us said anything after that, we were too busy taking part in a stalemate of smiles, until the waitress brought over our main course and we had something to distract us from looking at each other.

"Do you want to try some of my pasta?"

Brittany held her fork out towards me and I was about to take the handle from her when she evaded my hand and moved the fork in front my lips. I glanced to my left again, increasingly aware that people might construe something, but Brittany brought me back to looking only at her by murmuring my name. When I looked into her eyes, it did feel like it was only the two of us in the room and I didn't care anymore. I placed my lips over the fork and made an approving moan as the food entered my mouth. It really was tasty but I caught Britt looking at my lips and I knew what she was thinking because I felt the same way when I concentrated on her mouth.

However, a small grin spread across her mouth and she began to chuckle at me.

"What!" I asked, really trying hard not to speak with my mouth full but she didn't give me much choice.

"You have pasta sauce on your face."

I swallowed my mouthful and stuck my tongue out to try and get the offending sauce of my face, which only seemed to make Britt laugh harder. Eventually she picked up her napkin and leaned over the table to wipe my chin. She froze for a moment, and whispered so that nobody else could hear her, "if we were alone I wouldn't have used my napkin." She snaked her tongue out and ran it over her bottom lip. I felt my lower abdomen pull at the thought of what her tongue was capable of doing to me.

She sat down and placed her cutlery on he plate ready for the waitress to take it away as if she hadn't said anything out of the ordinary. However, my body felt on fire. All I could think about was doing sensual and naughty things with her.

"Santana… you look a little red?" She asked it so innocently but she knew full well the effect that her little stunt had on me.

I decided it wasn't fair for me to feel all hot and bothered for the rest of the meal, whilst she acted as though she was completely unaffected. I moved my right leg, which was next to the wall so it was hidden from view and placed my foot next to her left leg.

He eyebrows rose and she let out a weak cough as my calf connected with hers.

She kept her eyes fixed on me as the waitress came and cleared our plates and asked if we wanted to see the desert menu.

'Yes please" I answered because Britt was still too busy staring at me.

"You're very brave all of a sudden." She said it with confidence until I slipped my foot out of my shoe and trailed it up the inside of her calf to her knee.

I saw her visibly gulp and her fingers tensed and dug into the table.

"Santana" she said through gritted teeth as the waitress arrived back again with the menus and left.

"What should we get for desert?" I spoke as though there was nothing out of the ordinary going on, when really my foot had now reached her knee and began to stroke the lower part of her inner thigh. In response she stretched her leg out so that her foot was under my chair and parted her legs slightly wider to give my foot more space.

"Do we have to get desert?" She was breathing quite heavily now and I loved the effect I was having on her, even if it was in a public place. I was being so sneaky and I was revelling in the fact that nobody was able to see what I was doing. I loved that I could show Brittany how much I wanted her, without having to worry about my debilitating insecurities.

"Yes. Do you want to cut the date short of something?" I gave her puppy-dog eyes and she relented and looked at the menu.

I took her silence as an opportunity to edge my foot slightly further, resting it on the front edge of her seat. She took in a sharp breath and slammed the menu down on the table, calling the waitress over with her hand.

I tried to protest, but before I had the chance to tell her I'd stop the waitress was beside us and I didn't want to move my leg in case it drew attention to it.

"Hi, um" She looked over at me and I was certain she was going to ask for the bill.

"We'll share a sundae, thanks." She handed the menu back to the waitress and grinned at me as my jaw dropped. She was getting her revenge.

"If you feel confident enough to play footsy with me under the table, then you are going to share a damn desert with me Santana Lopez." She stared hard at me and I felt as though I wanted to protest, but she was right. I needed to push myself out of my comfort zone. It was getting late so the restaurant was starting to empty anyway. I could do this for Brittany.

"Okay. But I get to have the cherry from the top."

She laughed and I saw her shoulders relax back to their normal position.

"You can have the cherry Santana."

The sundae arrived pretty quickly and we both tucked in. Britt pulled the cherry off the top by the stem and held it out to me.

"You want the cherry?" She said cheekily and I nodded. "Well here to go then." She held it out in front of me and I was about to grab it with my fingers when she moved it out of my reach. "Na ah." She mused, "No hands."

I leaned my head to the side and bit down on my lip whilst I thought it through.

"Come on Santana. You can do this." She said it mockingly, like the physical action of getting the cherry was some tough feat I had to accomplish, however, I knew she was actually talking about me getting over my fear of showing that we might be more than friends in a public place.

"Please." She wiggled the cherry invitingly and I with her cute facial expression I couldn't help but comply.

I leaned over and took the cherry with my tongue and hooked it into my mouth. She didn't let go of the stem so I had to secure the fruit behind my front teeth and pull backwards until the two parts became separated.

"Taste good?" She picked up her spoon and tucked back into the sundae.

"Mmmm" I mumbled back whilst chewing.

We both fell into a comfortable silence whilst we ate, every now and again she would fight my spoon for a piece of brownie or some extra chocolate sauce, which made me feel so relaxed and fuzzy inside. I had stopped teasing her with my foot by this point. Instead, I leaned my knee against hers and felt giddy when she moved her leg so that our calves were nestled against one another's.

"You've got the last piece of brownie on your spoon!" She whined, pushing her bottom lip out and resting her spoon in the glass.

"Britt, you've had almost all the brownie and there is loads of ice cream left."

She shrugged her shoulders and played with her hands, "I know, but I'm finished with eating ice cream, I feel like I'm going to get brain freeze if I eat anymore and I really like brownie. Like reeeeealllly like it."

I tried to ignore her but when my spoon was inches from my lips she widened her eyes and murmured, "please can I have it." Her voice sounded so small and I knew I couldn't eat it. I was such a sucker.

"Fine. You can have it." I stated.

Her face instantly changed into a grin and then she opened her mouth wide and leaned forward.

I faltered for a moment. She wanted me to feed her this time. I knew she had done it to me earlier with her pasta and the cherry but now it was the other way around. However, she didn't close her mouth, so I couldn't leave her sitting there like an expectant sea lion for very long. My hand was shaking slightly as I quickly moved my arm towards her lips and watched as she closed them around the spoon. Her lips were mesmerising and not for the first time that evening, I was desperate to kiss them.

"Thank you." She looked at me sincerely and I nodded back.

"Are you girls done?"

"Mmmm yes thanks." I replied.

"Can I get you anything else?" She looked between the two of us and it dawned on me that our date was almost over. Shit.

"Just the bill please." Britt smiled politely at the waitress but I could tell she was thinking the same as me.

"I really enjoyed tonight." Brittany was playing with the wood in the middle of the table and I found myself watching her fingers.

"Me too."

The waitress arrived with our bill and Brittany grabbed it off the table before I had a chance to even see how much it cost.

"I'm buying."

"What! NO Britt, don't be crazy, I'm getting it…"

But it was too late Britt had her card out ready and was signalling to the waitress to get it from her.

"Thank you." I looked into her eyes just before the waitress returned and Brittany paid.

"Anytime."

I fidgeted whilst she sorted out all the receipts and a tip, and thanked the waitress. I found my hands had made their way onto the table and I wanted to take Brittany's hand. I wanted to but I wasn't sure that I could.

"You ready to go?"

She placed her hands flat on the table in front of her and looked straight at me.

"I…"

Her eyebrows raised and leaned forward to encourage me to continue.

Instead of speaking I shuffled my hand across the table, keeping my palms in contact with the wood, until our middle fingers were touching point to point. I looked up at her but she had her eyes fixed on our hands. They stayed like that for a few seconds, until Britt decided to make a move. She pushed forward and interlocked our fingers, so that our palms were still flat on the table.

"I love spending time like this with you Santana." She was still looking down at our hands and I breathed in a heavy sigh after she said it.

"Me too."

"What are you plans for the rest of the evening?" She asked tentatively and I felt her fingers twitch as she said it.

I had been so focussed on the date; I hadn't given any thought to what we were going to do afterwards.

"I guess I was going to go home."

She nodded.

"You?" I almost didn't want to ask in case she said she was driving back to her parents' house. I didn't like the idea of her being so far away.

"Mike said I could stay at his tonight, so I don't have to drive home." She bit her lip and this time it was my turn to nod.

There was an apprehensive pause and I think neither of us wanted to get up, because then we would only be a short car journey away from having to go our separate ways.

"I don't want to spend tonight without you San… I know it probably isn't possible, things are pretty confusing and I don't want to make you lie to your Mom again, but I miss sleeping next to you. I want you to be the last thing I see before I go to sleep."

I squeezed her fingers tightly underneath mine and it made her look up from the table to my face.

"Britt, I want that too." Right then I didn't care where we went, I just wanted to be able to spend alone time with Brittany, as we had been able to do so freely at the campsite.

"But where can we go?" She was almost pleading with me to find an answer.

"I don't know…"

We both fell into quiet contemplation until Brittany's broke the silence.

"Okay… come on let's go. We're only torturing ourselves by thinking about it." Britt got up from the table and broke apart our hands whilst she got her bag and smoothed down her outfit.

I followed her actions, racking my brain as to how I could make it work. Maybe we could both stay at Mike's? No, that wasn't fair, I barely knew Mike, and that would put him in a really tough position. I would let her stay at mine, but I was already feeling guilty about lying to my Mom. I didn't want to have Britt stay and then have her find out the truth afterwards and feel like I'd betrayed her. That was a step too far.

Then I had a brainwave, it was like one of those light bulb moments in cartoons.

"I need to make a call."

I brushed my fingers against her hands subtly, and hurried out of the restaurant.

"Santana?"

I heard her voice but I already had my phone out ready and was dialling. Maybe we could spend the night together after all.


	15. Chapter 15

Title: **Where the Wild Things Are**

Author: **Rigby8**

Pairing: **Santana / Brittany**

Disclaimer: **All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events is made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.**

Rating: **M (General rating not chapter specific)**

Summery: **Written from POV of Santana. She is at college in New York but after a bad break-up she is persuaded by her High School friend Quinn to go on a camping holiday. Quinn's new friends from college (who are characters from Glee) take Santana into their friendship group without hesitation and Santana finds herself being unexpectedly drawn to Quinn's quirky friend Brittany.**

**RIP Maurice Sendak**

**A/N: So I can't apologise enough for my writing break. I know it must be very frustrating for readers who want an update. Thank you for sticking with me and reading this, I will try to keep updating from now on and finish this fic.**

**In the last week I have reread the entire fic and sorry for all the typos, I really had no idea there were so many! Also, I have reinstated all the old chapters that were changed (there was a scare with fics being removed from the site so I amended them slightly), so if you're a new reader or an old reader who was upset when I changed them, they're back!**

**So here goes…**

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Hi Quinn… I, um, need a favour."

_What kind of favour?_

"The kind of favour where you let me and Britt stay in your spare room tonight…"

_Santana! How am I going to explain that one to my very Christian Mom?_

"Quinn, come on! You know how much it will mean to both of us. We need this. Please."

_Argh, you have a way of putting me in the most difficult positions! Do you know that? I'll call you back._

"Thanks Quinn, you're my bestie."

_Yeh yeh, don't thank me yet._

"Hey" her voice was almost as soothing as the arms she wrapped around my waist, "who were you calling?"

"Quinn" I let my body lean further into her body but was sure to keep a keen eye out for anyone I knew seeing us out in the open like this. "She might be able to let us stay at her house tonight. They have a plush guest room, would be perfect."

"That would be great. Although we might need to work on your volume control."

"What?"

It took a split second after I'd asked to realise what she meant and I went hot and bright red. She obviously saw my reaction because she started laughing so hard into my neck, kissing my heated skin every now and again between breaths.

"Sorry I couldn't resist. If she says no we'll figure something out." She stopped her laughing and rested her head on my shoulder.

"I know we will."

We both knew we were no longer talking about merely staying at Quinn's house tonight. We were talking about the whole thing, the whole 'us' conundrum.

Our silence was disrupted when my cell rang; I was relieved that we didn't have to delve further into the conversation yet.

"_Call me maybe_?" I could hear the amusement in Britt's voice as Quinn's personalised ring-tone rang out.

"Long story…" I quipped back, "Hi Q… so?"

I could tell that Britt was listening in to the conversation as best she could, obviously just as apprehensive about the outcome of the call as I was.

Quinn was whispering on the other end of phone, probably not wanting her Mom to overhear the conversation.

_So Mom said yes BUT before you start squealing she thinks it is because Britt has been kicked out by her parents and is insisting that you're the only person who can console her. The reason you are both staying in the spare room instead of my room is because I have to get up with Beth in the morning and I don't want to disturb you when I do…_

"Quinn that is amazing"

Britt was squeezing me even tighter and holding in a whine like an excited puppy.

_I'm not done yet. There are rules. No noise. I mean absolutely no noise. I don't even want to hear you breathing in there. Capuche?_

I laughed, knowing exactly what she had heard when we were camping – Britt and I had been a little inconsiderate on the noise front. Although saying that, I seemed to recall Quinn and certain guppy-lipped blonde making a racket that rivalled ours.

"Okay Quinn we'll behave ourselves."

_San, I'm being serious, no noise! Please promise me._

"We promise Quinn. We'll be good."

I could feel Britt nodding on my shoulder in agreement.

_Okay, what time are you coming over? I'm about to watch a movie if you want to join?_

Britt nodded again on my shoulder.

"We're on our way." I was about to hang up when Britt called out into the phone.

"Not _Gremlins_, it will give Santana Nightma-" I cut the phone off as quickly as I could and spun in Britt's arms to place my hand over her mouth.

"Brittany, that is our little secret, okay?"

Her eyes were gleaming with cheekiness and she licked the palm of my hands making me snatch my hand away.

Whilst I was busy wiping my hand on my dress she placed a quick kiss on my lips and ran away before I could get mad at her for licking my hand. She ran over to the car and climbed inside, waiting for me to join her. I loved her childlike spirit; it was infectious.

Before we left the parking lot I took the opportunity to have a sneaky make-out session. It was unlikely that we would get caught because the windows were slightly tinted. We had to peal ourselves away from each other as time went on; otherwise Quinn was going to start wondering where the hell we'd gotten. During the drive we kept throwing each other dreamy glances. I knew I was smiling like a clown but I couldn't help it. Brittany made me all fizzy inside and the thought of getting to spend a night with her in a real bed was incredible. I couldn't wait to feel her warm arms around me and have her long legs intertwined with my own. We arrived at Quinn's and as we were waiting for the door to be answered Britt gave my cheek a quick peck and I bumped her shoulder with my own in response. She had this way of being so cute in the shortest of moments, snatching a quick kiss or a hand-hold before someone saw us.

"Hey Guys." Quinn said loud enough for her Mom to hear. "Britt come here, give me a hug, we'll look after you, don't worry." She pulled Britt towards her and said in a loud enough whisper for me to hear "you both owe me… big time."

As we stepped inside Quinn's Mom came running into the hallway and instantly Britt looked forlorn. I was amazed by her impressive and very convincing acting skills.

"Brittany, honey, come here." Quinn's Mom pulled her into a hug and then held her by her shoulders at arms length away. "You can stay here tonight until it all calms down at home. Santana, you're such as good friend to be looking after her like this, not that I mind you staying but why do you need to stay here? Is everything okay at home?"

I was caught on the spot, none of us had thought about why Brittany couldn't just stay at my house.

"My Mom is sick, really sick and I didn't want Britt to catch it."

I could feel Quinn and Britt staring at me, impressed that I had managed to come up with something quick enough.

"Oh my, does she need to me call her? Is your dad in town? I could take her some soup?"

"NO!" I shouted a little too rigorously to stop her onslaught of questions, causing Quinn's Mom to stagger back a step. "I mean, no you don't need to do that, my grandmother is there with her, and she is sick sick, like out of both ends if you catch my drift. Soup would just run straight through her."

Quinn's Mom had a disgusted look on her face that she was trying to mask with a polite smile. I may have gone a bit too far but Quinn's Mom would have felt too embarrassed to call my Mom now and if she did see her it is doubtful she would bring up her being unwell when she was armed with the intimate knowledge that I had given her.

"Well it is probably best you stay here as well. Don't want you getting sick too."

The three of us made a dash for the stairs as Quinn's Mom headed back to the living room.

"Oh girls, I'll bring you up some popcorn for your movie. Get yourselves settled."

"Thanks Mrs Fabray," Britt replied still donning her Oscar-worthy forlorn expression, "but warm milk and cookies would make me feel so much better, if you have any?"

I was so shocked by her audacity my jaw nearly hit the floor. Where was this Brittany coming from?

"Oh my poor dear!" Quinn's Mom came back into the hall and placed her hand on the side of Britt's pathetic-looking face, I was sure she was about to start crying she was so convincing. "I'll bring it right up for you."

I walked up the stairs in shock, taking a moment to look at Brittany who was walking beside me. She brushed her hand against mine and I felt a chill going up my spine at the sensation the secret contact with her caused.

"I'm going to the bathroom, see you in my room." Quinn headed in the opposite direction at the top of the stairs and Britt and I went into her room.

Britt climbed onto the bed and tapped the bed beside her but I needed to keep my distance for a moment. I knew I shouldn't be too shocked by her acting downstairs but I had never seen Britt be that deceptive. I didn't realise she had it in her! I wouldn't expect anything less from Quinn and I, but Britt was such an innocent… well not that innocent I suppose when it came to certain topics.

"That was quite a convincing performance down there Britt."

Her brow furrowed and she placed her hands on her lap, looking increasingly nervous by my accusation.

"Are you mad at me?" She was confused at my sudden distance and to be honest I wasn't too sure why I was behaving the way I was, I suppose it was about me finding out facets of Britt's personality that I didn't realise existed.

"No, not mad. Definitely not mad. Surprised is a better word." I took a step closer, realising I was being stupid but not quite able to give in and sit next to her.

"Well I am a theatre major San. That is what I am training to do. I mean usually I don't use it to trick other people, you know like Ninjas aren't supposed to use their killing-skills unless it is self defence, but I suppose I'm willing to do anything if it means getting to spend the night with you. Is that so shocking? Wouldn't you do the same?" I could tell she was appealing with me to understand her plight and I did, I would totally do the same and more. I was creating a double standard between us. Corrected, I sat down next to her and placed my hand on her knee.

"No it isn't, sorry. I guess I'm realising that there is still stuff about you that I need to learn, which is exciting but also a reality check for me that we have only known each other a very short period of time; in spite of it feeling as though I have known you years."

"You mean like when I heard you lie to you Mom before our date?"

I was dumbstruck. She had called me out big time.

"And like the way you've just learnt that I am a giant hypocrite." I stated, casting my eyes downwards.

She laughed and it made me lighten up. She was right but then she always seemed to be right.

"We're both learning. It is going to take time." She rested her head on my shoulder.

"Hey!" Quinn came into the room and instantly Britt and I sprang apart. "No touching until my Mom has gone to bed, you hear?" She said it in a loud and forceful whisper and I felt my eyes involuntarily roll.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me Santana Lopez or you can go now!"

I held my arms up and was about to appeal when Britt jumped up and stood between us.

"Sorry Quinn, we will sit either side of you on the bed until your Mom goes to bed" she turned to me and pointed her finger like she was disciplining an unruly child. "And you will behave. No arguing or eye rolling. Quinn is being a good friend and putting herself a risk for our sake. You hear?" I stared back at her but soon realised not only was she right but also that she wasn't backing down anytime soon.

"Fine." I crossed my arms across my chest, sulking until there was a light tap on the door and all of as spun around, acting like everything was perfect for Quinn's Mom.

"Here we are girls! Cookies, warm milk and popcorn." Her tray was overflowing with goodies and we said a chorus of "Thank yous."

"Brittany dear, you're looking better already. Nothing like friends to make you feel loved." Britt smiled at her and flashed me a quick glance.

"Sure isn't."

"Right, well I'll leave you to it. Brittany and Santana, I've left some clean towels in your room and sleep in as long as you want tomorrow morning. Quinn and I will be going out at 9 with Beth, so if we're not here when you leave make sure you close the front door. Night girls!"

She closed the door behind her and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

"So is she going to bed now?" I asked, trying to sound innocent.

"You can sit on the bed together and cuddle but nothing else! I don't want to have to listen to you two sucking on each other's faces for the whole movie."

"Deal!" I got off the bed, grabbed Brittany's hand and pulled her onto the bed next to me so that she was in the middle between Quinn and me. I knew that with the current tale we had spun Brittany should be the one cuddling up to me but I really needed to feel her strong arms around me. I was feeling vulnerable and a little fried considering all that had happened since we had come back to Lima. I wanted to relax and let my mind go blank whilst we watched the movie. I placed my head on her chest and could hear her heart fluttering. She instantly wrapped her arm around my shoulder and linked our fingers on her lap.

"Comfortable?" I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Uh huh"

"So I was going to watch _Harry Potter_…"

"Ohh which one!"

So Brittany was a Potter fan.

"The first one" Quinn replied tentatively.

"Oh I haven't seen that one is aggggggesss. Put it on!"

"Do you want some milk and cookies?" Quinn asked.

"I'm fine thanks," I mumbled into Brittany but I could feel her body shake as she nodded. I was worried that meant she was going to get up but luckily Quinn helped us out.

"I'll bring the plate over for us to share." There was some padding about whilst they got comfortable and I heard Britt accept her glass of milk from Quinn, which meant that she had to let go of my hand.

"San, are you sure you don't want anything to eat?" Brittany's voice was soft and considerate.

"No thanks, I'm still full from dinner" I replied. I didn't know how she could eat so much food and still stay so slim and toned. It must have been all the dancing and running she did.

The movie started and in spite of not being a 'Potter' fan I didn't actually care what we watched. Usually I would have kicked up a fuss until I got my choice of movie but this was a moment I was going to ingrain in my memory. Spending quality time with Brittany and Quinn was something that made me fill with emotion. They both giggled and reacted to the movie at the same time, which was more entertaining than the movie itself. It was so cute to see them getting on so well, they obviously had become close friends through college and I hadn't realised just how funny they were together. If things were to progress with Britt, if we were to try something long distance, it was so reassuring to know she would have the support of Quinn whilst I was away and that when I came back to visit we would all be able to hang out, just like this, and it wouldn't be weird.

My eyes began to grow heavy and as much as I wanted to fight sleep I couldn't. As I was drifting off I could feel Brittany rubbing her hand up and down my arm soothingly. She must have known I was falling asleep because she kissed my forehead and told me that she would wake me up for bed once the movie was done.

The next thing I heard was her voice again.

"San… sweetie it is time to get up…"

I could feel my body being gently shaken and her familiar voice penetrating my deep sleep.

"Huh… no we can stay here tonight" I mumbled back which made her laugh and Quinn reply sharply.

"No, this is my bed. You've booked the honeymoon suite. Now get up before I throw you out of my bed Lopez."

I groaned and snuggled closer into Brittany who amazed me with her strength by putting her hands under my knees and lifting me off the bed and onto her lap. My eyes opened and I looked at her, her outline was fuzzy because my vision was blurred by sleep.

"Do I have to carry you there?" She gave me a cheeky smirk, which was ruined when Quinn jumped in again.

"There will be no carrying. And no noise. Remember?"

"Yes Quinn, we remember." I got off Britt's lap and held out my hand to help her off the bed and onto her feet.

"And you have to wear these." Quinn handed us some clothes that had been folded on her chair in the corner of the room the whole time, nicely planned for us.

"I don't want to see either on you in any less clothing that this. Yes?"

We both nodded but I grumbled about how I didn't want to. I didn't mind wearing clothes in bed usually but I didn't want Brittany to be covered up the whole time.

"What was that Santana? You want to go back to your own house and let Britt sleep here alone?"

"No" I skulked back at her and headed out of her room and down the corridor to the guest room before I could say anything to ruin things.

"I could hear Britt's footsteps behind me and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I wasn't sure what she was going to do. Would she agree with me that we should break the rules set by Quinn, I had already seen her deceive Quinn's Mom earlier in the evening, or was she going to play by the rules and say we had to sleep and be good?

We got into the room and I placed my clothes on the chair in the corner and was about to start undressing when I felt Britt's hand on my arm. I turned towards her and she used the momentum of my turn to pin my back against the closest wall.

"Britt..."

She placed her hand over my mouth as I had done to her earlier in the evening. She leaned in close and whispered in my ear.

"You heard Quinn, no talking. I don't want to hear a word, understand?"

I opened my mouth to reply but then realised that was contradictory and simply nodded instead.

Her lips were on me in an instant and her body pressed me hard into the wall. I could feel every curve of her body against my own and we fitted perfectly. The kiss got more and more heated and when she ceased kissing my lips and moved her mouth onto my neck I could feel my lips pulse with how swollen they had become. She nipped at my neck and then latched on, I realised quickly she was planning on giving me a hicky but as soon as I was about to protest I realised her rule of not speaking. I knew if I spoke she would stop doing anything she was planning on doing and the thought of that was too upsetting to comprehend. I could hide a hicky. It was totally worth it.

My stomach muscles tensed as she released her mouth and licked over the spot she had just marked. She looked down at it and an impressed smirk crossed her face. She was pleased with her work.

Not being able to speak forced me to use my face and my body to make her know how turned on I was and how much I wanted her to continue. Her eyes were hungry for more and when I reached out to undo her shirt she stopped me. Tonight she was in control and I couldn't be happier about it. Dominant Brittany was so hot.

She placed her hands at the bottom of my dress and pulled in over my head. I was stood before her in my underwear and a coy grin appeared on her face, like she was the cat that got the cream. She ran her finger along the top of my bra, tracing the exposed skin that caused me to arch my back into her hand to make the contact stronger. She slipped her other hand behind me, taking full advantage of the space that my arching action had made between the wall and my back. She unclasped my bra like a pro; taking her a matter of seconds because of her nimble fingers. As I thought about where the same nimble fingers might be headed next a flutter of butterflies flitted in my lower stomach. I was sure I was going to be embarrassingly wet once Brittany had reached my centre, but strangely enough I couldn't care less. If I couldn't tell her verbally how turned on I was then what better way to demonstrate to her the effect she had on me.

Whilst I was lost in thought, Brittany had already repositioned herself and had her mouth tight around my nipple. I had to swallow the groan that made its way into my throat, which caused Britt to stop momentarily and look up at me. She mouthed the word "careful", which made me smile and tap her shoulder playfully. Her mouth went back to my nipple and this time I was prepared so I controlled myself. Her other hand began to massage my free breast and I closed my eyes in pure bliss.

Once she was content she had done enough work with my chest area she kissed her way back up my neck and then placed a peck on my lips, after which she signalled with her head towards the bed behind her. She took my hand and I quickly laced our fingers, taking every chance I could to be intimate. I was about to sit down on the bed, but I think she could tell that I was feeling nervous. Every other time we had been intimate I had relied on her talking me through it and the lack of verbal communication now made me apprehensive. I didn't know what she was thinking. I tried to read her body language but I needed her reassurance that I was doing okay. She faced me and placed her hands either side of my face and kissed me tenderly. I melted and all my apprehension vanished. This wasn't merely sex for her; this was about connecting with me, about wanting me and only me. All my concerns slipped away. She took my hands and led them towards her shirt and placed my fingers on the top button. I followed her instructions and quickly she was stood before me in just her underwear too. It comforted me to know that we were in the same state of undress.

I sat on the bed and shuffled backwards to make room for her to join me, which she did as soon as there was room for her. She lay next to me and placed her hand on the side of my face, looking deep into my eyes. We were lying face-to-face, inches apart and I let me hand start to explore her body. I traced the hollow curve of her side, enjoying her way her skin felt beneath my fingertips. She followed my lead, only her finger traced the semi circles under my breasts and drew a line down the middle of my stomach, taking a full circular detour around my belly button. My fingers stopped moving on her side and gripped when her fingers scored along the top of my panties. She peered down at her hand and then looked back at my face, still asking me for permission despite not being able to say it out loud. I nodded and as her hand pushed down inside my underwear I leaned forward and rested my forehead on her chest. She dipped her finger into my centre and I knew I was soaked through. She didn't spend too long there, but used the wetness to rub my clit. It was already so swollen and the wetness made her fingers slide across it easily. As she picked up speed I could feel my breathing increasing and Quinn's words of not making a noise began to speed around my head. I knew if I started moaning she would stop in case anyone heard. Brittany, as always seems to be the case, could read my mind. She leaned right down to my ear and whispered "bite down on my shoulder if you need to."

I was hesitant at first, refusing despite her offer because I didn't want to hurt her, but as she pushed harder and faster onto me I had no choice. I bit down onto her bare skin and she took in a sharp breath which nearly made me stop, until her fingers got even faster, impossibly fast, and I had to keep biting down to stop myself from calling out.

I needed the release soon; there was no way I could keep quiet any longer. To my complete relief I felt myself begin to build, it was coming soon and I couldn't wait to feel myself peak. My toes curled and I gripped so tightly onto Brittany that I was sure my fingers would bruise her skin. As I came I pushed down onto her hand and all the energy that would usually go into calling out came out through my body. I clung to her. I pulled her so close that I was sure neither of us was able to draw breath. Her hand came out of my underwear faster that she usually would stop touching me to bring me down so she could hold me with both of her hands. As I felt her grip on me I released my jaws from her shoulder and took a quick moment to assess the damage. Her shoulder looked so red, with purple indents where my teeth had been. I kissed it to apologise and then lifted my head off her shoulder and directed it towards her mouth for a kiss.

I murmured onto her lips, "I'm sorry." The guilt at what I had done suddenly dawned on me. I didn't want to hurt her but in the moment I didn't know what else I could do. I was sure her shoulder must have been aching.

"I told you to do it. Totally worth it to see you come like that." She murmured back onto my lips.

She began peppering kisses all over my face and I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation. When the kissing stopped I opened my eyes and found her lying on her side, with her head resting on her palm looking at me. We stayed like this for a while, taking in each other without the pressure of having to speak because we knew we couldn't risk being heard.

Eventually she took her hand from beneath her cheek and placed it over my heart and let it rest there for a moment, taking in the speed at which my heart was still thudding in my chest. It made her smile.

I reached towards her chest and was about to start making a move on her to repay the favour but she quickly stilled my hand.

"Tomorrow" she whispered.

I nodded, I was too tired to reciprocate and she knew it. Also we had been lucky with me not calling out, but another round would probably have been pushing our luck. I had barely managed to stay quiet and wasn't sure I could have done it again. I moved towards her and snuggled into her body, kissing her chest softly. However, Brittany rolled away from me and got off the bed. I panicked, thinking I had done something wrong but quickly realised what her motive was. She grabbed the pyjamas from the chair in the corner and held a set out for me to take. I hid my head dramatically into the pillow and shook it. I didn't want to put clothes on. I didn't want Britt to put clothes on even more!

She took my hand and forced me sit up. I sat on the side of the bed with my legs hanging over the edge and pushed out my bottom lip. She kissed it and caught it briefly between her teeth, but then when I still didn't make a move to get dressed she held out the shirt for me to put on. I reached my hands above my head, asking her to put it on for me. She cocked her head to the side as if to say _really?_ but soon gave in and put my top on for me. Then she placed my feet into the feet holes of the pyjama bottoms and I stood up so she could pull them up for me. We ended up facing each other and she took the opportunity to place another sweet kiss on my lips. However, as I was about to turn away she ran her fingers across my neck, outlining the mark she had left there. It reminded me of my bite mark on her shoulder which was now turning into a dark red colour. It was really going to bruise.

She saw my eyes focus on her shoulder and noticed the guilty look pass over my features again. To distract me from her bruise she placed her hand on my cheek and turned my eyes away from the site. Her thumb brushed up and down my cheek as she mouthed to me "San, it's fine."

I nodded and climbed into bed so I could watch her get dressed. She knew I was watching but pretended not to realise. She got into the bed next to me and it felt like we were friends having their first sleepover. It was so strange to be clothed and in a proper bed with her and I felt awkward and even more exposed than I did when we were naked. As I didn't move towards her straight away she tapped her chest to get me to cuddle up. I loved that she seemed happy to take the comforter role. I needed to feel safe and as soon as I felt her arms around me all my worries and stresses slipped away. I knew she would take care of me.

"Night Britt." The words slipped out before I had a chance to stop them. I felt her tense for a moment at the break in the silence but then she took my hand and pulled my fingers to her lips.

"Night San."

And for the second time that night I drifted off to sleep in her embrace.


End file.
